The Dragon
by King of 2211
Summary: In their time of need, Empire City turn towards their guardian. The man. The myth. The legend. The hero. This is the legend of Dragon. PoxTigress, CranexMei Ling, and many others (not now, but in future stories). Rated T for language and violence.
1. Fall of a Hero

**Here I am, with yet another super hero fic, hope everyone likes. KFP and all of its characters are owned by DreamWorks.**

**P.S. Like Team Tao (I'll get back to that sooner or later) I will not be using insects or arachnids as characters and everyone will be more humanoid.**

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Prologue: Fall of a Hero

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_"We interrupt this program to bring you a special news bulletin: Empire City's one and only hero and beloved guardian sacrificed his life for all of us. Earlier this evening an unknown terrorist group took the entire Wellington International building hostage and threatened to kill everyone if the police or any other law enforcement tried to interfere."_

Images of a huge, silver skyscraper that had a giant, neon green 'W' and 'I' initials on the front and a fountain in the driveway was shown as it was surrounded by unidentifiable black vans. Other images showed police, SWAT, and FBI surrounding the outer perimeter of the building, but kept a fair distance away as not to provoke the terrorists to do anything rash.

_"Moments after law enforcement arrived, a most disturbing broadcast was aired."_

The image changed to a very dark room with seven figures, each with a black cloak and different colored (White, black, green, red, yellow, violet, and blue) mask with creepy looking smiles and little X's where the eyes should be. The figure with the white mask, who seemed to be the leader began to speak in a completely deep, warped voice as if to keep people of his tail.

_"Greetings, citizens of Empire City. If you are wondering about what our identities are, don't; it doesn't matter who we are, but what does matter is our plan. What our plan is, I shall not say. But I shall say this: what you think is terrorism is actually salvation for Wellington International is one of many signs of oppression. It may have provided jobs to those in need, payed to every single charity, and placed funds into the budget; it is all a cover-up for the so-called company to manipulate and control each and every citizen who reside in our fair city. The unfortunate workers of this company have chosen the wrong path and thus we have sought to free them from such. Even more unfortunate, they will have to be eliminate should any law enforcement. It would be a mercy killing if we did, but there is a second chance for these people to live and be released unharmed. Instructions have been sent to the head superiors of the company; there is no time limit. However, every second that they take, will be another step towards to everyone's demise. End transmission . . ."_

The image becomes static until going completely black.

_"Not long after the broadcast aired, Empire City's hero, The Dragon, appeared almost instantly and entered through the twenty-first floor."_

An image of an apparent muscular male wearing a completely silver suit with a golden Chinese dragon on the chest, red gloves, red boots, a golden mask with one way lenses over the eyes and only left his ursidae-like muzzle bare. A belt with a Yin and Yang symbol adorned his waist with a pair of nunchucks on the left and right side, a short baton on the back, and two three-in-a-half foot long batons on his back. Al weapons were gold with silver Chinese dragons designs.

_"Minuets after Dragon had successful infiltration small explosions, occurred on certain parts of the floors of the 30's to the signal tower, until a larger explosion blew the tower straight to the ground below."_

Images showed parts of the building blowing up, but was nothing compared to the explosion at the very top of the skyscraper where the enormous signal tower fell from where it was.

_"However, Dragon was able to prevent the tower from impacting on any civilian in the vicinity. Unfortunately, this would be his finally act of kindness . . ."_

Images showed Dragon, now engulfed in crimson-red flames, struggling with the tower. Then in a bright flash, Both the tower and Dragon seem to vanish into thin air, leaving no trace either existed.

_"After this mysterious flash occurred, The Dragon, the tower, and the terrorist group were nowhere to be seen. Though the tower was located near Turtle Cove and a shred of the Dragon's mask was discovered on the beach, The Dragon and the mysterious terrorist group were never seen again. Miraculously, the people held hostage were found unharmed and safely escorted home. Though no one could recollect what had happened, some recall being rescued by Dragon and were told to find safety. Some of the workers who recovered from the shock found the courage to speak of their experiences."_

An image of a middle-aged goat with rectangular-rimmed glasses and a business suit.

_"Hey, I thought the guy was a nut, despite what everyone else thought. In the end, he was every bit of the hero that people claimed he was."_

Another image showed a buck horse in his early thirties wearing a janitor's uniform, complete with cap.

_"The guy was here to help the day he first appeared and he went down in style, I've always supported him and I always will; even if he's gone."_

A third image showed a young tabby in her mid twenties wearing a business suit with a matching skirt and was sobbing as she spoke.

_"SNIFF . . . T-t-there were gunmen everywhere . . . SNIFF . . . they were going to k-k-kill . . . SNIFF . . . They were g-going to kill us . . . SNIFF . . . But then, he came and took them out and t-took us to safety . . . SNIFF . . . I'll never forget what he did for me, for us, for everyone in Empire City. . . SNIFF . . ."_

a fourth image showed a German shepherd in his mid-thirties wearing a security guards outfit.

_"It's because of him that everyone survived, it's because of him that no one died, and it's because of him that I was able to go back home with my wife and children. Words cannot express how I thankful I am. I hope everyone knows that, especially the ones who thought he was otherwise."_

The scene shifts to a large, illuminating golden statue of The Dragon in the Empire City park, which displayed the fallen hero in all of his glory.

_"People from far and wide are now gathering at the statue of Dragon as we speak to pay tribute and their respects as we speak. Mayor Thomas Ramos even prepared this speech in honor of Dragon."_

The scene changes to the park at night with the statue of Dragon surrounded by endless groups of city and suburban dwellers wearing black mourning clothes as they turned their attention to a small stage wear a middle-aged Chihuahua stood in front of a microphone and cleared his throat to begin his speech.

"Today, a most tragic event has folded upon our fair city. For as of this moment, we bid farewell to, not just a person, but a legend. A legacy. A hero. The Dragon did everything he could to protect us when we were in danger and need a helping hand. Today, however, would be the most devastating loss we of Empire City will endure. He owed no one anything at all, and yet he gave his life for us. He will be missed. He's not fully gone, for he will always be in our hearts, wherever we will be and wherever his spirit resides. He was as much a part of this city as you and I; he always was, and he always will be for as long as we remember him. Now let us bow our heads."

As everyone bowed their heads, the camera zoomed out to show the many people mourning the loss of the now deceased hero with their heads bowed. The final scene showed the close up of the statue.

_"The man. The myth. The legacy. The Dragon proved every time that he was the hero everyone needed and will live on as long as we remember all the good he has accomplished. For as long as Empire City is prosperous, the spirit of Dragon will never die. Farewell Dragon. May you rest in peace. This has been Channel 5 news with Claude Bukowski; we now return you to your regularly schedule program."_

* * *

Battered . . .

Bruised . . .

Bleeding . . .

Gasping. . .

His eyes opened quickly as he gasped for breath and looked around to see where he was. He quickly found out he was in an alleyway somewhere in Downtown and struggled to stand up right. This was proving to be quite the challenge as it was painful to move any parts of his body; what he did earlier was starting to take its tow on him, but he been through worse and managed to get to his feet. As soon as he found his way out of the alley, he saw just the place he was looking for and with what energy he had left, jump onto the fire-escape and climbed to one of the highest rooms.

* * *

That very same night, a female mountain lion in her early thirties with long curly, jet black hair tied back in a ponytail, black nearly pointed ears with tan patches, dark tan fur all over her body and tail (excluding the black tip), emerald-green eyes, flat pink nose, and creamy white on the front of her muzzle that went down the front middle of her body. She wore a teal long-sleeved turtle-neck sweater, white jeans that were held up by a brown leather belt, and silver locket around her neck. She looked to be some sort of supermodel, what with her hourglass figure and athletically lithe, but slender body, and appeared to be 'well-endowed' in the chest are. The feline stood frozen as she looked towards in horror at the television, which showed the newscast on The Dragon's supposed death.

She was snapped out of her shock as she heard a tap on the window near the fire-escape. As soon as she looked, she nearly scream for many reasons, most of which were shock and happiness. There, outside of the window, was none other than The Dragon himself, only he appeared to be heavily injured. His costume was ripped and tattered in many places, he was missing a glove, and half of his mask was torn off. The mountain lioness rushed over to the widow and opened it to let the wounded hero in. As soon as the window was opened, Dragon fell to the floor with a hard THUD! He groaned in pain as the mountain lioness came to his side and helped him sit upright.

"Robert! Robbie! You okay baby?" The feline asked in concern.

"Not really . . ." Robert, as his name was revealed to be, hissed. "I feel like I was thrown into a meat grinder . . ."

He then too off what was left of his mask to reveal that he was a grizzly bear in his late thirties with short-cropped dark chestnut-brown hair, rounded ears, pointed muzzle, and dark piercing chestnut-brown eyes. As soon as the mask was off his eyes then wondered to the television and what he saw caught his attention more than anything in his entire life. Could it be true? Did everyone really think . . ?

"Everyone thinks I'm dead . . ."

"Pretty much." The mountain lioness responded, caressing the side of the grizzly's bruised face. "I think it's time to, well, you know . . ."

She was right, he couldn't keep this up forever; after all he had doing all of this for twenty-five. Even with everyone supporting him, he know he'd have to learn when his time had come. Apparently that time . . . was now.

"Amber . . . Where's Po?" Robert asked, gazing to the floor.

"Spending the night at Jeff's." Amber, the mountain lioness, answered.

"Good . . . I don't want him to see me like this . . ."

"I know, he's my foster son, too, you know."

"I know . . . ARGH!" Robert cringed as he tried to stand.

"Easy! Easy! Let's take it slow." Amber said as she helped the grizzly to the bedroom.

* * *

After a few hours of recovering, Robert found himself his secret room in his study staring at a glass case that held an extra undamaged suit. Others that were displayed in the case were magazine and newspaper articles, Chinese martial arts pamphlets, even his weapons: the nunchucks, the pole, and the batons. Currently, Robert was wearing a black long-sleeved shirt and a pair of blue Levi's. He stared at the displayed, then breathed deeply as he performed a little Tai Chi and cupped his hands. As his eyes opened, they began to slit and glow a bright golden color and as he opened his hands, a golden baseball-shaped orb appeared in his hands. He then placed the orb in a case right next to the case with the suit and closed it.

"Goodbye, old friend; This is where we go our separate ways."

"Rob . . . you coming to bed?" Amber called from the bedroom.

"Yeah . . . be right there." Robert called back as he turned around and proceeded to walk out of the room.

As soon as he reached the entrance, he stopped and glanced over his should to look at the suit before he turned in for the night.

"I'm sorry, master."

He reverted his attention back ahead of him, took a deep breath as his head slumped, flipped a switch to turn off the lights, then closed the door as the room became pitch black.

* * *

Robert Glover was walking home, until he heard a commotion coming from an alley. Even without super power, Robert was skilled enough in Jeet Kune Do to defend himself perfectly. As soon as he reached the end of the ally, he saw something he did not like what so ever. In the ally were two young boys, one nine years of age and the other nine.

one of the boys was a young panda, who was a little on the chubby side, with short raven-black hair, black and white fur, rounded ears, and bright green eyes. He was wearing a black AC-DC shirt, blue hoodie, like blue jeans, black Vans sneakers, and a white baseball cap.

The other boy was a young snow leopard with long shoulder-length cyan colored hair, snowy-grey fur with black spots all over, black ears that were slightly pointed, and amber-yellow eyes. He wore a blank white shirt, black jean shorts, and black combat boots.

What Robert didn't like was the fact that the snow leopard was playing keep away with a black notebook that most likely belonged to the panda boy. As he did so, he laughed cruelly as the younger boy tried in vain to reclaim his stolen property.

"Come on, Tai Lung, give it back!" The panda pleaded.

"Why don't you make me, fatty!" Tai Lung, the snow leopard, retorted and shoved the panda to the ground. "This'll teach you to get me in trouble!"

That did it, one way or another, Robert was going to set that boy straight. Before he could move, however, the grizzly spotted another boy approaching Tai Lung from behind. This boy was a nine-year old German shepherd pup, with brown and black fur, black triangular pointed ears, short blonde hair, and crystal blue eyes that were glaring daggers at the snow leopard. His clothing was not, but a simple white Karategi with a green belt.

As soon as the German shepherd was behind Tai Lung, who didn't notice that someone was sneaking up behind him, he swiped the note-book from the snow leopard's hand and swatted him in the back of the head. Tai Lung, now angered, turned to see the German shepherd's angry glare as he walked past him to help the panda to his feet.

"You okay, Po?" He asked in concern.

"Yeah, I think so." Po, the panda, replied with a sigh. "Thanks a lot, Jeff."

"Anytime."

"Hey, Speakman, get lost!" Tai Lung forcefully said. "This doesn't concern you"

"Why don't you just back off!" Jeff Speakman, the German shepherd, shot back. "He didn't do anything wrong!"

"He's the reason I've been suspended from school!"

"You were suspended because you beat on him and left him a bleeding mess!"

"So what? It's not my that butterball here can't defend himself!"

As the two argued, Robert approached from the side, undetected. As soon as he was close enough he stopped and waited for the right moment to step in.

"Okay, I don't know what your problem with Po is, but I'm not going to let you hurt my friend!" Jeff stated with the look of absolute disgust in his eyes. "Now, for the last time. Back. Off. Or else."

"Or else, what?" Tai Lung challenged, ready to start a fight with this little punk, but . . .

"Yes, Mr. Speakman, what will you do?" Robert asked, which gained the attention of all three boys, much to the relief of Po and Jeff and horror of Tai Lung.

"Robert!"

"Mr. Glover!"

"Uh . . . H-hi M-mr. Glover, h-how are you today?" Tai Lung asked in a trembling voice.

"Well, the most strangest thing happened. As I was on my way home today, I happened to be passing by an alley, until I could have sworn I heard that someone was in said ally. As I checked to see what was all the commotion, I saw that a certain young feline was bullying my foster son."

"Uh, oh, that, I-I was only playing around . . ."

"As I recall: you pushed him to the ground and called him "fatty", or am I mistaken?" Robert pointed out in a low subtle voice.

"Well . . . You see . . . I . . ." Tai Lung sputtered as he tried to think of an excuse, but failed miserably and was stopped as soon as Robert held up a hand.

"I think it's time you went home, Tai Lung. Right. Now."

Tai Lung began to slowly walk out of the ally, but not before casting one last glare at Po and Jeff, which was returned with glares of their own.

"Git!" Robert yelled, which made Tai Lung hightail it away from the alley.

As soon as the young feline was gone, Robert turned his attention to his foster son as he kneeled down to see if he was hurt.

"You alright, Po?"

"I'm fine, good thing he wasn't feeling punchy." Po joked as Tai Lung was a student of one of Empire City's martial arts instructors; Master Jack Shifu (or just Shifu since very few people call him Jack) teacher of Kung Fu.

"Well, I'm still impressed; you know enough JKD to defend yourself and yet you don't fight back." Robert said, proud that the panda never got in a fight, despite always being picked on and having Jeff come to his rescue.

"What would that prove? Martial arts are about defense not causing fights when you want to."

"Nicely spoken, that's what Sensei Parker's teaching us to do in Kenpo." Jeff commented wholeheartedly about his Sensei, who was none other than Edward Parker, another one of Empire City's top martial arts instructors that was a teacher in Kenpo Karate.

"Speaking of which, Doesn't your class start in a few minuets?" Robert asked curiously.

"Oh, shoot, you're right!" Jeff exclaimed as he ran to gather his things and rushed out of the alley while waving goodbye to the two bears. "Later guys!"

"Later!" Both bears called back then made their way home.

* * *

Later that night, Po, Robert, and Amber (still as lovely and youthful as ever) were seated at the dinner table while eating bowls of New England-style clam chowder with shredded cheese and crackers. One might think fifteen years of marriage would be hell, but Robert never regretted proposing to Amber. Not one single, microscopic iota. He loved her like no man could ever love a woman in their entire and the feline felt the same way about him. Amber was a cool girl, she was gorgeous, she had a nice body, she was a great cook, she had a singing voice like an angel, she had excellent medical skills, she could dance the night away, she could kick butt, she was great with children, and she knew how to take charge when she needed to.

Amber loved Po so much, for she understood how it was to lose one parents and did everything she could to become an ideal mother for the young panda. Robert was best friends with Po's father, Fred Ping, while Amber was good friends with the mother Yu. All four had the same Jeet Kune Do teacher and grew up all together. It was also thanks to Yu that Robert and Amber were together in the first place. Just a few months ago, both parents died in an explosion at a hospital where they both worked. Po was very shaken up by the loss of his parents and blamed their deaths on Shifu since he saw his father arguing with the Kung Fu teacher. Due to being unable to sire any children and in honor of their friends, the brought up Po as their own, though it would be some time before their could truly adopt him.

Po became a huge fan of The Dragon and the hero team known as the Furious Five (Iron Tiger, Silver Crane, Steel Monkey, Bronze Viper, Brass Mantis), and many more. As soon as he heard that The Dragon had "died", he was beyond devastated and cried himself to sleep for a whole week. Po didn't know that Robert, his own foster-father, was said hero. One day they'd have to tell him, but it would have to be when he was older, he wasn't ready to hear news like this. After finishing up, Robert helped Amber with the dishes and called Po to the den.

"Po, I think it's time." The grizzly stated seriously, which confused the little panda.

"Time for what?" Po asked, not getting where his foster-father was coming from.

"To put your training to the next level."

This both shocked and surprised both Po as Amber smiled mother at him.

"R-really?"

"Of course, we wouldn't be telling you if we were lying." The mountain lioness replied with a chuckle.

"Awe man, this is gonna be sweet!"

"But . . ." Robert spoke up and raised a hand so that he could speak. "This involves us going away for a while."

"You mean . . . we're moving?" Po asked sadly.

"No, no, no, far from it." Amber said as she tussled his hair. "We'll be gone for a little bit, but we'll come back."

The panda remained silent for a few minuets. This was all happening so fast that he had mixed feelings. He then realized that he need to do this if he was to become a master in Jeet Kune Do. He hated the thought of leaving Jeff; they were friends since they were four and did everything together.

"Can I at least say 'goodbye' to Jeff?" The panda asked in a low, quivering voice.

"Oh, honey, of course you can." Amber said as she hugged her foster son, which her husband followed in suit.

"And remember this: this is not goodbye forever." The grizzly said in a comforting tone. "We're coming back as soon as we're finished and we're not going anywhere after that."

Po looked at both of his foster parents with a tearful smile and nodded.

"Jeff'll understand, I promise." Amber said, giving the panda a kiss on the cheek. "Now get ready for bed, we leave first thing in the morning."

"We'll even stop by Jeff's place on the way." Robert added with a smile.

Po nodded and walked towards his room, then shut the door to turn in for the night.

* * *

To Be Continued: Uprising

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**Well, hopefully this was good enough, hope it's to everyone's liking. Robert is based on martial artists Robert Wall and Jesse Glover, both of which were good friends with martial arts legend himself Bruce Lee! Jesse was also one of Lee' first students in Kung Fu and Jeet Kune Do, which will be Robert, Po, Amber, and many other's form of martial arts. Jeff if based on an actor with the same name who also a black belt in Kenpo Karate and his master is based on he late Kenpo Karateka grandmaster; Ed Parker Sr. Robert is also based on DC superhero Ted Grant AKA Wildcat (both in and out of costume). Other heroes will appear, including the Furious Five and villains, including Tai Lung and the terrorist group. Till next we meet, this is King of 2211 signing off.**


	2. Uprising Pt 1: Welcome Home

** I'm back, with the first chap, enjoy. OCs are the only thing I own.**

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Chapter 1: Uprising Pt. 1: Welcome Home

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**Nine Years Later, 2004**

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It was a beautiful day in March that the people of Empire City went about their daily routine without any worry. It was also that the roar of a motorcycle drove through the streets. The person who drove the motorcycle (which was a black and silver Buell Harley Davidson that could hold up to two people) wore a blue Ecko Unlimited shirt, black hoodie, navy blue jeans, black finger less gloves, black Vans, and a grey JanSport slung over his shoulder. until it had reached its destination; Norris Van-Damme high school. Student walked around the quad, while some conversed with each other, on their phones, typing on their laptops, or even reading.

It was a big two story school that had both inside and outside eating areas, an Olympic side pool in one of the gyms, huge track/football field, and other extra curricular areas that had spread for about ten blocks.

But, before he could round the last corner, he stopped at a red light and as soon as he did he heard a commotion to his left. He turned his head to see three college-aged guys (a vulture, a hippo, and Chihuahua) surrounding a young albino ferret. What the rider saw that the three had in common was their shaven heads, leather jackets with red skulls logos on the back, black leather jeans, and black boots.

The vulture, who seemed to be the oldest and de-facto leader, had black feathers on his body, black beak, and pale green eyes. The hippo, who was the tallest, had bristles all over his mouth, purplish-black leathery skin, and dark brown eyes. Finally, the chihuahua, who was the shortest, had peachy fur, pointed ears, and dark hazelnut colored eyes. The rider then realized that these three were members of one of four local street gangs, the Skulls. The Skull were the most violent of the street gangs and had long since tried to "take over" Empire City. Fortunately, the martial arts instructors of the city made sure they always failed.

The ferret seemed to be freshmen age since he was slightly smaller than the chihuahua. He, of course, had snowy-white fur, messy dark brown hair, pointed ears, and red eyes that were filled with fear. He wore a short-sleeved white-plaid button-up shirt, rectangular-rimmed glasses, dark blue jeans that were held up by a black leather belt, black Converse Low-Tops, and a white JanSport backpack. Po recognized the ferret as Lawrence Windsor (or Larry to everyone else), another target of bullies due to his lanky build and high intellect. Another fine quality to define Larry was that he was a pacifist; meaning he didn't like to fight, or violence in any definition.

The rider looked at his watch and saw that he had about twenty minuets to spare before school started. The rider then decided to kill a couple of minuets . . . on the Skulls that is. He then drove around the block till he reached a place to park his motorcycle and slowly approached without being detected. He hid beside a dumpster that was right next to Larry and his tormentors and listened in on what was happening.

"Think you're pretty smart? being a Junior instead of a freshmen, Windsor?" The vulture sneered.

"Think you're quite the Einstein, don't you." The chihuahua added with a snarled.

"G-guys . . . p-please . . . I j-just want to go to school . . ." Larry fearfully pleaded.

"Don't interrupt us!" The hippo said loudly. "You make me sick."

"Such a Smarty-Warty pants." The chihuahua chided. "I'll be damned if this gum wrapper thinks he's smarter than us."

"I say we make an example of this punk." The vulture opted, cracking his knuckles, which was followed by his fellow Skull buddies.

"N-no! Please!" Larry cried out, which was the final straw.

"Hey, you three!" The rider shouted as he jumped atop the dumpster and gained the attention of everyone present in the alley. "Step away from the AV kid!"

"What did you just say?" The hippo demand angrily.

"Oh, I'm sorry, you didn't understand what I said, did you? Fine then, how 'bout this: back off!"

"We heard you the first time!" The vulture shot back.

"Why don't you just mind your own business, whoever you are!" The chihuahua spat. "You might just live to see tomorrow!"

"I'm afraid I can't do than, short-stack. Look, just because he's smart doesn't give you guys any reason or excuse to lay a finger on him! So I'm going to say this. One. Last. Time. Back. Off. Or else."

"Or else, what?" The vulture challenged as his hippo buddy snuck behind the rider with a steel pipe in hand, ready to give this guy one hell of a wailing for interrupting their 'exampling', but didn't count on one thing . . .

"Behind you!" Larry shouted, alerting the rider of the Skull behind him.

The rider, already sensing the hippo behind him, avoided being hit by the pipe by jumping off the dumpster, back-flipping/twirling in the air, then landed be hind the hippo and stood back to back with him. Before the hippo could do anything, the rider elbowed him in the back with his right elbow, kicked one of his legs to throw off his balance, reached over with his right arm, pulled him over his shoulder to the ground, then brought an elbow down to the neck to keep him out of commission. The rider then turned his attention to the vulture and chihuahua and saw that they, along with Larry, who pulled out a camcorder, were in absolute shock by what they saw. The two Skulls members shook off their stupor and glared angrily as the rider.

"Why, you little . . !" The chihuahua growled, then shot forward to give a little payback for his fallen comrade on the rider.

Try as he may, the mexican canine could not lay a hand on the mysterious rider as all of his attacks (punches, kicks, ect.) were either blocked, parried, or redirected without effort. The chihuahua came in another kick with his right leg, only for it to be blocked by the rider's right leg as it kicked the chihuahua's ankle, causing him to flail his arms forward. Wasting no time at all, the rider grabbed the chihuahua by the wrists, then pulled him into a thrust kick with the left leg to the gut. This winded the canine, but the rider was far from done as his grabbed the chihuahua by the triceps and pulled him into a knee to the gut, which winded the canine even further.

The rider decided to finish his fight with the chihuahua by bringing his right knee straight to the canine's jaw. As the knee connected to his jaw, the chihuahua flew back against one of the walls, unconscious. The rider turned then turned his attention to the last of the Skulls, which was the vulture, who then proceeded to take out take a switchblade.

"I'll cut you up good!" He yelled as he charged at the rider.

His luck was no better than his comrades as the rider dodged and parried each stab or slash that came his way. The next stab, unfortunately for the Skull, would prove to be a mistake as the rider grabbed the knife-wielded hand by the wrist with his left and and punched with his right hand. The vulture stumbled back a bit, while writhing in pain. He quickly shook out off, thought he could still feel the pain of the punch, and took out another switchblade.

trying to talk sense with this avian was pointless as he was now in a blind rage at the rider and tried once again to stab him with his right hand. The rider then redirected the vulture's arm with his left hand to his [the rider's] right hand, which allowed the rider to grab the vulture by the wrist. The rider then used his left hand to grab the vulture's left wrist and cross both of the avian's arms. The rider shifted his weight and, with a little force, side flipped the vulture to the ground.

Before the Skulls member could do anything to sit up, he was met by a sharp pain in his gut as the rider's crashed into the avian, and that was al that was needed to take him out of place. Unbeknownst to the rider and Larry, who was still filming and failed to notice the flashing red battery sign on the top-right corner on the tiny screen, the hippo was slowly getting up and took up the same pipe to crack it over the punk with the helmet. He was stopped, however, when someone placed a hand on his right shoulder.

"Not on your life, bub." The person behind the hippo said as the person pulled the Skulls member around to face him.

Both the rider and Larry turned to see yet another stranger performing a perfectly executed 360 kick (Jean-Claude Van-Damme's signature kick) with his left leg on the hippo. As the stranger's foot connected with his face, the hippo once again fell to the ground, unconscious this time. The stranger then walk into the light and allowed both the rider and Larry could see him perfectly.

The stranger appeared to be a teenage, Junior year German shepherd, who was about six inches taller than the rider. The German shepherd in question, wore a plain black t-shirt, silver wristwatch, black shorts, and brown mountain shoes. He appeared to be very muscular, indicating he was a natural born athlete. What really got the rider's attention was the canine's short sandy-blonde hair and crystal blue-eyes, which, sparked a memory from years ago.

"Jeff? Jeff Speakman, is that you?" The rider asked in recognition.

"Uh, have we met?" Jeff asked in confusion.

"What, you don't recognize . . ? Oh, that's right, the helmet."

The rider then took off his helmet to reveal that he was a teenage panda. Though he had grown and his hair was longer, this panda was someone familiar, indeed.

"No way! Po?" The German shepherd smiled and secret handshaked then hugged his best friend that he missed for nine years. "Good to see you, man!"

"Great! What about you? You a black belt yet?"

"You have no idea how hard I had to work for it!"

"Try me!"

"Uh, excuse me?"

The two turned their attention to the albino ferret as he placed his camcorder back into his backpack.

"I don't mean to interrupt this reunion of yours . . ." he said in a low, but audible voice. "But the first bell rings in about 12 minuets . . ."

"Oh, shoot, you're right!" Jeff exclaimed in recognition as he glanced at his digital wristwatch. "We gotta go!"

"And step on it!" Po added, rushing to his motorcycle, followed by Jeff and Larry.

* * *

It was safe to say in all honesty; the three boys made just it in time, with five minuets to spare.

"Okay . . . we . . . made . . . it . . ." Po managed to pant out.

"Just . . . in . . . time . . ." Jeff coughed in agreement.

"Thank . . . god . . ." Larry wheezed, falling backwards, but was luckily caught by Jeff. "Thanks again for . . . saving my hide."

"Anytime."

"Yeah, anything to put those hotheads in their place." Po said with a smile. "By the way, Jeff, where's the principal's office?"

"I'll take you there, later Larry." Jeff waved as he lead his recently returned best friend through the halls.

As they walked, Po noticed that a lot of girls (obviously) starred hearts at jeff, while some squinted at them as they recognized someone. A lot of students also gave the German shepherd a wave, or a shout. Jeff must have been on the football team or something since he was greeted by a lot of people, some of which were teachers.

"You sure seem to be popular judging by gown many people are trying to get your attention." Po commented.

"Yeah, being on the track team will do that." Jeff replied nonchalantly as if it were no big deal. "When you're an athlete in one of the most successful athletics teams, you're basically popular in a lot of ways and invited to a lot of parties on and off campus."

"Sounds awesome."

"Yeah, not really."

"Why's that?"

"Because . . . I've also caught the attention of . . ." Before Jeff could say anything else he shuddered and held himself as if he was caught in a blizzard. " . . . . Katie Bates . . ."

"Not Katie the Prissy!"

"'Fraid so."

Katherine Bates, or Katie as she preferred to be called, was one of the most popular clique at Norris Van-Damme. She was rich, a natural musician and singer, and quite frankly, a natural beauty with a figure to boot. She was also very manipulative, using her good looks and wealth to have any guy (which was mostly every guy in school) to anything she would want, whenever she would want. The reason why some called her "Katie the Prissy", was because she was, for a fact, the biggest spoiled brat in Empire City! Seriously, every guy without an once of a brain (mostly anyone who crosses paths with her) would be hopelessly enchanted by her, but that wasn't even the worst part. The worst part was that this spoiled rich kid had a skyscraper-sized crush on Jeff ever since they were seven years old! Every guy would kill to be in the German shepherd's place if it meant they had Katie's attention and he would welcome death if it meant he'd be away from the likes of HER!

Jeff showed no interest in Katie, much to everyone in the Track Team and Katie's shock, and had eye for only one person in particular. This person was none other than Cynthia Takeda, who was the second-in-command of the Cheerleading Team. Cynthia, like Jeff, was a student of Sensei Ed Parker in Kenpo Karate, and was a good friend of Po. She was actually one of the few girls that didn't tease him about being fat, or not 'being good' enough to be one of Jeff's friends, despite Jeff making it perfectly clear that he and Po were best friends till the end.

Unlike the stereo type, Cynthia was a kind girl unlike any other cheerleader around and treated everyone like a person. Jeff had a humongous crush on her since he was only four years old, and that was saying something.

"Man, that must suck." Po said as if comforting a burnt victim.

"You have no idea . . . Oh, look we're here." Jeff announced and true to his word they had made it to the principal's office. It was at the same time that the first bell rang, alerting the students to get ready for first period. "And there's the bell, sorry Po, catch you later!"

The German shepherd then rushed to his locker, but not before waving to his friend, who waved back as a reply.

"Hi, my name's Po Ping, I'm a new student and I'm here to see the Principal.

"Certainly, please have a seat and Principal Wilson will be right with you." The receptionist/secretary, who was a youthful-looking female hamster, smiled politely.

"Thank you." Po thanked , then took a seat as instructed.

It didn't take too long for after a few minuets of waiting, Po was called in. After a few minuets of conversing with Principal Wilson, who was a kind and well-mannered middle-aged buck stallion, he received a schedule for the semester. With the following classes:

**First Period: HISTORY**

**Second Period: MATH**

**Third Period: COMPUTERS**

**Fourth Period: THEATER** (Amber's going to have a field day with that)

**Lunch Break**

**Fifth Period: P.E.** (perfect)

**Sixth Period: CHEMISTRY**

"Okay, I'm in luck, my first class is right over . . . There."

As soon as Po reached the room where his first class would be, he nearly bumped into a slightly middle-aged gazelle with salt and pepper hair.

"Can I help you?" He asked as soon as he saw Po.

"Yeah, I'm new." Po replied, handing the gazelle his schedule.

"Ah, yes, welcome to Norris Van-Damme, my name I am Mr. Kwambe." Mr. Kwambe greeted as he shook hands with the new student who smiled back.

"Nice to meet you."

With all that said, Mr. Kwambe introduced Po to the entire class, much to their shock of who he was, Po saw that Jeff was in the same class. This was a huge relief to the panda and was even more relieved to see that he got to sit right next to the German Shepherd. As Mr. Kwambe began his lesson, Po exchanged his schedule with Jeff's.

"Dude, we have exactly the same classes!" Po whispered excitedly.

"Sweet!" Jeff whispered back and fist-bumped the panda.

"If you two are quite finished, maybe you'd like to pay attention." Mr. Kwambe said without looking back at Po and Jeff.

"Sorry, sir." Both both said, which caused everyone in class to chuckle and giggle.

"It's alright, just please pay attention while class is in session."

The rest of the day flew past quickly as Po found himself in the school cafeteria with Jeff at his side. But soon came to a halt as soon as his eyes caught sight of a very familiar group of people. He then dashed behind a column, much to Jeff's confusion.

"Po, what are you doing."

"Hiding" The panda replied then, pointed to the group. "From them."

The German shepherd looked to where his best friend was pointing and began to understand why he was hiding to begin with. The group was made up with a tiger, crested crane, golden snub-nose monkey, snake, marten, mountain cat, and snow leopard. This group were all students of Master Shifu: Teresa "Terri" Hue, Calvin Kwan, Mel Tse, Victoria "Vicky" Luse, Markus Tang, Calvin's girlfriend Mei Ling, and finally Tai Lung.

Po was all too familiar with this group and suddenly felt the the atmosphere had drastically changed, for the worse.

"I think I'll have my lunch outside." Po stated, then made his way to an outside table.

"It's a beautiful day outside anyway." Jeff agreed, knowing full well the his friend just didn't want to be anywhere near the group, but said nothing about it.

The two then found a seat outside, but before either one could take a bite out of their lunches . . .

"Well, well, well, look what I found."

The two boys turned to see that Markus, the marten from the group, was now standing behind them. He was slightly shorter than any male his age, being barely up to Po's chest. He had dark brown fur, piercing green eyes, cropped dark brown hair with green highlights, small muzzle, and pointed ears. He wore a green sleeveless shirt, black wristband on his right wrist, dark blue skinny jeans, and black running shoes. His eyes were currently glaring at Po, who returned a neutral gaze.

"Never thought I'd see you prowling around here, Ping." Markus said in a low, almost threatening, voice.

"Well, wouldn't you like to know, Tang." Po merely replied, returning a glare.

"What was that?"

"You heard me."

"You got a death wish?"

"What're you going to do if I do?"

Time seemed to stand still as the two stared each other down as Jeff just sat there in silence. Then, after a few minuets, all three of them broke out in laughter. They laughed for a few minuets before calming down as Markus sat with both boys. Markus was actually one of Po's very few friends that didn't tease him, or call him fat. In fact, it was because that the marten himself was teased for being short for his age that he and his (step cousin) befriend Po, Jeff, and Cynthia when they were in Kindergarten.

"Good to see you, Po." Markus smiled, sharing a secret handshake with the panda.

"Same to you, Markus." Po replied. "So, spill already, what happened while I was away?"

"Where to start, well, there's a new mayor, There's a new arcade Downtown, Speakman here is now a star track runner . . ."

"Told him already." Jeff intervened, then took a bite of his chicken sandwich. "Continue, please."

". . . As I was saying, my dad got remarried, as did my uncle."

"Really, to who?" Po asked out of curiosity.

"Well, my dad met this woman, Holly last year and they hit it off."

"And your uncle?"

This part got both Markus and Jeff quiet all of a sudden, the marten seemed to be a little hesitant to tell the panda and the German shepherd seemed a little worried. This confused Po somewhat; was it something he said? Did he ask something he shouldn't have? Whatever it was, it seemed to be something that the panda felt that he would find out one way or another.

"He got married too . . . " Markus started, but stopped.

"Yeah?"

"Well . . . he got married to . . . Vicky's aunt."

"Oh, I see . . ." Po said as he casted his glance to his tray.

"Look, I'm sorry I . . . It's just, I know you still might have issues with Vick-"

"No, don't be, I'm the one who asked. Besides, I've moved on from that incident."

"You sure 'bout that?" Jeff asked in concern for his best friend.

"Totally, I understand completely." The panda replied with a (fake) reassuring smile. "She has her friends and I have mine."

"Does that mean . . ?" Markus asked before being interrupted.

"I don't hate her, far from it, I just understand what worlds we're from. She's happy with Terri anyway, I just know it. Why would she need someone like me clinging around her when she has Tai Lung? I bet the years I was away were better for her as it was for me."

Jeff looked at Po with more concern, he could tell that the panda was still angry deep inside from what had happened those nine years ago. The German shepherd himself was so upset after what had happened that he completely ignored both the tiger and snake for whole week, then a month right after Po left. Even after a series of repeated apologies, Jeff refused to tell either of them where Po had gone to, stating the Po just needed time to himself and kicked "right where it hurts" when the snow leopard claimed that he scared the "big fat" panda away.

"Well, you best get back to the others before they start to wonder where you are." Po reminded the marten.

"Yeah, well, it was good to see you again, later guys." Markus said, then started to make his way back inside when he suddenly stopped. "As soon as they find you're here, they'll be asking about you and where to find you, ya know?"

The panda seemed hesitant to answer at first, but after a few minuets, he took a deep breath and sighed.

"Then I'll just tell them that I understand."

"And Tai Lung?"

"What about him?"

"He's just as bad now as he was then, what happens should you two bump into each other?"

"Nothing, I've got nothing to prove to that savage caveman." Po shrugged off and took a bite out of his pasta. "Enjoy your lunch, man."

"You two."

For the rest of the day both Po and Jeff caught up on a lot of stuff the panda had missed during his nine years of training. It was by pure luck (or a miracle to Po) that they hadn't encountered Vicky, Terri, or Tai Lung for the matter. This was fine with Po because he had just wanted a calm quiet time on his first time back home. Both had bumped into Larry during computers, who was more than willing to help either person if they had any problems (most likely because he felt he had to repay both panda and German shepherd for helping him out). It was in P.E., where more than a lot of the students and teachers who remembered Po, that had everyone shocked. Apparently no one had expected him to be in-shape as everyone recalled him being fat when he was younger.

it didn't matter as the panda proved that he was able to prove his fitness to everyone, including Katie Bates, which was priceless in Jeff's book. Chemistry was a hoot as well, since the teacher, Ms. Walters (a female wolf in her mid-thirties) was a major hotty in so many ways known possible. Unfortunately (for the guys) the class was only 50 minuets long, which wasn't long enough for some of the students. Next thing Po knew, it was time to pack up for the day.

* * *

As he got home, Po noticed how quiet it was, usually Amber would be watching one of her favorite soap-operas or doing yoga (which he tried to avoid staring at, since she was basically his adoptive mother). He walked into the kitchen to grab a snack, as he closed the fridge door he saw there was a note:

_Dear, Po_

_Robert and I had to take care of something on the other side of town (such a drag if you ask me) and won't be home till late tonight. Left your favorite instant ramen in the cabinets and, please, no parties while we're gone, 'kay?_

_Love, Amber_

"Ha, ha, ha, very funny Amber." Po said sarcastically.

He was about to walk to his room, when he felt a slight chill running down his spine and stopped right in his tracks. He scanned his surrounding to see anything out of place, but found that everything was as it should be. The feeling didn't let up, however, and it seemed to be pointing to one room in particular; Robert's study. Po knew more than anyone that Robert didn't like anyone (with no exception) to be there, unless he said otherwise. The panda did everything to obey this rule (mostly because he was scared of being used as a training dummy by how serious the grizzly was), but the feeling he had was commanding him to enter that very room. Hesitantly, his hand reached for the doorknob, gripped it tight, the turned it to open the door.

The panda peaked inside, only to see that there was nothing out of the ordinary about this either. He stepped in, but closed the door behind him in case Robert and Amber got back early from whatever it was they were doing. After a quick inspection, Po decided that everything that everything was just fine, then why was the weird feeling starting to go crazy? It was then that his eyes fell upon the bookcase, but there was no way that this the cause of the felling . . . Could it.

"Oh, yeah right, and there's going to be a hidden room behind the bookcase." Po chuckled sarcastically as he took out one of the books (which was Bruce Lee's philosophy on Jeet Kune Do), thinking that it would be a little too cliché, but . . .

The bookcase the opened as if it were a regular door right before the panda's eyes. Po stood there for what seemed like an eternity an looked into a room completely immersed in total darkness, even with all the light in the study. His first thought was to close the bookcase, walk out of the study, and pretend nothing happened. The feeling he had, however, prevented him from doing so and urged him to proceed forward. Besides, he was actually very curious about what this hidden room was all about and what was in it. His hand felt for a light-switch until he found one to his right and flipped it to turn on the lights. The panda covered his eyes to shield himself from the nearly blinding lights until he adjust and saw that there was only a single closet like object in the middle of the room.

Curious of what he found, Po found himself inching closer and closer until he reached the object. He then touched the middle and it suddenly opened up to reveal that it was some sort of display case. The panda's eyes widened as this was no mere display case . . . It was filled with miscellaneous items of his all time favorite hero in the known universe, The Dragon! The case was fill with magazines, newspapers, pamphlets, and weapons such as: a Bo staff, two Kali Eskrima sticks, and two pairs of Nunchucks. What really got Po's attention was preserved suit that resembled the Dragon's in every possible detail; almost like a complete replica. Even the color was correct and a hole on the mask where the mouth should be, plus it had a six-pack look on the stomach. Po would have geeked out over all of this, that is, if he didn't find the whole thing just a tiny bit suspicious.

What was all of this doing in this room? Why was this room hidden in Robert's study? In the apartment for the matter. How long had it been here that Po had only recently discovered it? All theses question were swarming the panda's mind so much, he thought that his head might explode at any minuet. His thoughts came to a halt as soon as he saw another thing that caught his attention and the panda couldn't take his eyes off of it. Next to the costume in the middle case was a golden orb, which seemed to be the reason why the feeling he had was increasing just by looking at it. It was at the same time that Po, with reasons that even he didn't know why, reached for that very orb. The case opened instantly as his hands finally clutched the spherical object and held it close to see it more clearly.

The weird feeling he had began to intensify into a tingling sensation as the orb began to glow bright light and flashed right before the panda. This spoked Po so much that he released his grip on the sphere, but to his surprise, the orb floated right between hands. That wasn't all as som of the "light" from the orb started to float into both of Po's palms. As it did this, the orb began to shrink until it had completely vanished. Both of his hands, however, flashed a bright light. After the light died down Po saw that the orb was gone, as if it had never existed in the first place.

Did he imagine the whole thing? Maybe he just needed some rest, which was sounding like a good idea since the panda started to feel weird. He felt like he just got off one of those spinning carnival rides (why they made those was beyond him) and just wanted to crash for a bit. He wobbly made his way out of the room, making sure the display case sealed, the bookcase covering the entrance to the room, got out of the study, then made his way towards his room. Though what he didn't know was that the Jeet Kune Do book he picked out a few minuets ago was now on the floor of the study.

This proved very difficult as everything began to spin around him as if he where caught in a tornado. He tried his best not to fall to the floor as he wobbled his way to his room, bumping into the walls as he did so. He had finally made it to his destination as he slammed the door shut and collapsed onto the bed. His whole body suddenly began to spasm violently, eyes retreated to the back of his skull, then his whole world went black.

* * *

Po eyes snapped open as he shot up straight and looked around to see that he was in his room was just as it should be. He then looked at his hands to see anything unusual, but saw there was only sweat (not much, but still). The panda looked him self up and down and saw that he was perfectly fine as he was. He let out a heavy sigh of relief and laid back down upon his pillow. What was better was the he didn't have that strange feeling anymore. Whether or not it was really, he didn't care what so ever, he just laid there in peace and smiled at his Bruce Lee poster.

"Maybe it was all just a dream." Po mused as his eyes happened to take a quick glance at his clock, then up to the ceiling . . . He then did a double take, which nearly made him fall off the bed, and stare at the clock in wide-eye shock.

It was nearly 7:00 P.M.!

Did he just sleep for four hours? He didn't remember feeling tired earlier. What in the name of Jackie Chan was going on? Was he losing his mind? Was the stress of those nine years of training getting to him? Did he eat something bad before or after he got home? His mind felt like a helium balloon that was being over flatted.

"I need some air." He decided and walked onto the fire escape just outside his window.

it was already dark out, but he didn't mind because it was a nice cool evening and it was just what the panda needed to clear his thoughts of dread. He inhaled and exhaled several times until he felt absolutely calm, yeah he'd fall asleep during mediation now and then, but he knew how to babe calm when he needed to. Just then sounds of police sirens met his rounded ears as his eye opened to see black three cars being perused by a dozen police cars. They whizzed past Po's apartment building, then disappeared when they rounded around the corner. Po recalled someone saying that crime had resurfaced two years ago earlier that day at lunch. Apparently, they didn't respect The Dragon well enough to let the city have its peace.

This made the panda absolutely furious; was it really so hard to just stop causing so much trouble, was it?! Po couldn't believe these people, why were they such . . . Such . . . Scum bags?! The panda felt so disgusted that he turned to go back into his apartment room . . . But his body suddenly stopped just as he was about to touch the window. Even more peculiar, his body seemed be moving on its own as he found himself leaning over the edge of the fire escape.

"What the . . ?!

But before he could say anything else, he found himself jumping off of the fire escape . . . Which was about seven-story high!

* * *

To Be Continued: Uprising Pt. 2: First Flight

* * *

**And there's the first entry, hope everyone enjoyed. Norris Van Damme (of course) is named after two of the greatest Karateka actors; Chuck Norris and Jean-Claude Van Damme. Cynthia is also based on martial arts actors Cynthia Rothrock and Rina Takeda. Another note: I got the whole high school thing and Po avoiding Vicky (Viper), Terri (Tigress), and the rest (including Tai Lung) from another fanfic called "The Nobody". Now Po knows something's suspicious about Robert and vice versa. If you're still interested, stay tuned. 2211 King, out.**


	3. Uprising Pt 2: First Fight

**The King is back! OCs are mine and suggestions of other authors, nothing else, that's it! On with the show.**

* * *

Chapter 2: Uprising Pt. 2: First Flight

* * *

_Italics_ - thoughts, news reports, emphasis, and speeches

**Bold** - announcements, shouts, metallic

* * *

"_Oh god . . . . WHAT THE HELL DID I JUST DO!_" Po screamed in his head as he dropped seven stories from his apartment room.

The panda closed his eyes and shielded himself for impact, but then . . . he stopped. He thought that it was the end. We was dead. Body splattered all over the concrete. his mangled body food for the worms . . . wait a minuet . . . if he was dead, then why was he still breathing? Po unshielded his face . . . to see that he was perfectly alright. Upon closer inspection showed that he was now at the bottom of the building; completely unharmed. But, before he could shake off the experience as sleepwalking he nearly tripped in the crater he was in-CRATER?! The panda looked down to see that he was standing in a small crater in the sidewalk. He stood there for a few minuets of shock until he looked around and saw that there was no one was on the street. He let out a sigh of relief, but caught his breath as he saw a 10-year-old otter boy from a building across the street stare at him with wide eyes.

"Uh . . . this is . . . all . . . just . . . a dream?" Po chuckled nervously, though he highly doubted the boy believed what he said was true.

Before anything else could be said or done, the panda crouched (against his will for some reason), then did one of the most highest leaps he had ever done in his entire life. Po landed, none too gently since he ended up on his back, on a roof of another building. He stood up and saw that he had leaped over two blocks from where he lived! What was going on? Was he losing his mind? Was e do to wake up inside a patted room with a straight-jacket? His thoughts were interrupted as a new sense went off inside of his head. He stood completely still as he listened to the now far away police sirens and instantly knew where the chase was heading. With a new look of determination, the panda rushed with surprising speed to catch up with the cars. Though he didn't notice was that there was another onlooker who noticed the panda leaping from building to building.

This person was a young eighteen-year-old white tiger who stood about 5'8 with the usual white fur with black stripes, deep blue eyes, and spiky dark black hair with grey streaks. His clothing was a tad odd, what with it being a grey Chinese vest, black jean shorts, and black flip-flops. He stared as he continued to watch Po leap in the direction of the police sirens with a raised.

"Huh, that was odd." He commented, but shrugged it off and continued his stroll.

* * *

The three cars sped their way into an abandoned warehouse as it was surrounded by at least three dozen patrol units. They all screeched to a halt as each officer got out with guns at the ready, for when things get ugly. One officer in particular stood out among the others. He was a German shepherd, who appeared to be in his mid-forties, wearing the official police uniform of the Empire City police plus Kevlar bullet-proof vest. This canine was police Commissioner Seth Speakman, father of Jeff Speakman and a good friend of Robert. As stood from his patrol car he was handed a megaphone and spoke in a commanding tone:

"_Alright, listen up! This is the Empire City Police! We've got you got you completely surrounded! Surrender and come out with your hands up! If you fail to comply, or give up the weapons that you've stolen, the we're allowed to use lethal force if necessary!_"

Everything seemed quiet at first, but that wasn't an excuse for any of the officers to let their guard down for anything. After a few minuets, a small oval-shaped object flew out of one of the windows and landed in front of one of the patrol cars. Time seemed to stand still as some of the officer began to realize in horror of what it was . . .

"GRENADE!" Seth shouted to alert the his squad. "TAKE COVER!"

Everyone scrambled as the small oval object blew up, damaging one of the squad cars in the process. As everyone stood back up to gather their wits, a figure stood out from the shadows to show that he was a crocodile in his mid-thirties. He had dark brownish-green scaled from head down to his tail, short raven-black mohawk, and mustard-yellow eyes. He was wearing a white muscle shirt, brown leather jacket with a hexagonal-shaped logo of scales on the back, black leather pants, and black boots. This person was Fung, a member and enforcer in the ScaleZ gang, a rival gang to the Skulls. Fung held a megaphone of his own and began to make his own speech:

"_YEAH! You like that? That's what you get for stepping up to the ScaleZ! We are the real progress in this whole city! We are the true leaders! We have the power and might! You police are powerless! You are nothing but ants that await to be squashed! You are flies that are about to be zapped! You are all nothing but-_"

"Can I throw another grenade, Fung?" Another ScaleZ member, a black python with a blonde crew cut and wore the same thing as Fung, abruptly interrupted.

"Gary . . . Do I interrupt you when you're making a speech, hm?" Fung as in an eerily calm voice, but the python remained silent, which prompt the croc to smash his helmet into an old table. "ANSWER ME GODDAMN IT!"

"N-no . . . Y-y-y-you don't!"

"I don't?"

"You don't."

"No?"

"No."

"Oh, well then . . ." Fung said before striking his snake comrade with a back fist. "DO NOT EVER INTERRUPT ME AGAIN! Got it?"

"Yes . . ." Gary mumbled, wiping the blood off of his muzzle.

"Now as I was saying; you police want these weapons? Then come and take them, if you can!"

The ECPD stood their ground as they tried to calculate a sort of plan, but could only call in for reinforcements and S.W.A.T. until further notice. What no one notice was that another figure had jumped atop of the warehouse where the ScaleZ were hiding. To this new figure, he had absolutely no idea what he was doing.

* * *

"Po, we're home!" Amber, now in her early forties (but still a bombshell), called as she and an all too familiar grizzly entered their apartment and looked around. "Well, guess he didn't throw a party after all, huh babe?"

"Very funny, Amber; hardy, har, har." Robert replied sarcastically. "Really, you should be a comedian."

"Should, but sweets are better tasting."

The mountain lioness glanced over her shoulder, smiled and winked at her husband, then swayed her hips as she walked into the den. The grizzly merely chuckled and shook his head. For some odd reason, something felt off about the apartment, but saw that there was nothing out-of-place and dismissed the feeling as thinking too hard. Still, it didn't let up as he realized that their foster (now adopted) son didn't answer as soon as they walked through the front door. The mountain lioness noticed this as well, but thought that the panda just dozed off from boredom.

"Po, you alright?" Amber called again, but was given no reply. "Po?"

"You okay in there, bud?" Robert asked as he knocked on the door to the panda's room.

The grizzly noticed that the door was unlocked and got the shock of his life as he entered the room. Po was nowhere to be seen! His stuff was present and everything didn't seem ransacked, but the young panda was missing. After a few minuets of searching the apartment for their son, both grizzly and mountain lioness became increasingly worried and called the Speakman residence to see if any of them saw Po after school. When Zoe, Jeff's mother, replied that Jeff came straight home and had no information on what happened while they were gone. The one thing that had captured Robert's attention was that Seth was called in due to a recent weapons theft by the ScaleZ, which reminded him that crime had escalated two years before the present. This made the grizzly realize that they had missed one room, one room that they didn't check to see anything out-of-place, the most private room in the apartment; his study!

Robert made his way to the study, but saw that there was nothing wrong. His computer, his files, his books; all completely untouched or out-of-order. He was about to turn and leave the study, but before he reached the door, he felt that he stepped on something. The grizzly looked down and became shocked to see his copy Bruce Lee's philosophy on Jeet Kune Do was on the floor!

"How'd this get on the floor?" He asked no one in particular, then noticed that space where said book use to be. "No, he couldn't have . . . could he?"

The grizzly then placed the book back where it should be, then pulled it in a distinctive sequence, which opened the opening to the secret room. He flicked a switch to turn on the lights and opened the display case to see if anything was missing. After a few inspections he saw that everything was accounted for: magazines, newspaper articles, Nunchucks, staff, Eskrima Kali sticks, suit, orb . . . Wait a minuet . . . The orb was missing! He could have sworn that he had left it there all those years ago and all but a few people besides himself knew where it was hidden. He felt as if the air around him was getting thinner, but realized something he hadn't before. He remembered having a feeling around Po the day he was born and it all became clear to him.

"Robert?" Amber called from the den.

"Amber, I think we got a problem!" Robert called back, boy was she going to freak.

* * *

"Okay, it's official: I have absolutely no idea what's happening to me, or how the hell I just leaped over a dozen freakin' building!" Po yelled to no on in particular.

Po stood on the roof of the warehouse where the ScaleZ were hiding and peered in to see an alarming number of them crammed into this one building of all places. There were scaled species as far as he could see: lizards, snakes, gators, crocs, ect.. All of them were guys and girls, but still a thug was a thug, no matter how you see it. The panda noticed that they were gathering around a large stage, which was weird because Po was absolutely 100% sure that fishing docks didn't have any sort of entertainment besides listening to the radio all day. His answer came as a hulking figure walk onstage and as he stood into the light, it was revealed that he too was, in fact, a croc himself. He appeared to be in his early thirties, stood about a good nine feet tall with dark lime-green scales all over his body (except for the lighter green under his muzzle and around both of his eyes), short trimmed brown hair, and red eyes. He wore a white muscle shirt, black leather jacket with spikes, black jeans that were held up by a black leather belt, black wristbands that were slightly spiked, black fingerless gloves, and black combat boots.

This person was one of the most notorious gang leaders in Empire City, Lidong. This person was known for violent acts around the city including: robbery, breaking and entering, harassment, and murder. Seriously, this guy was one of the most ruthless bastards you'd ever bump into (pray you never bump into him period). As stood to his fellow ScaleZ members, he pulled out a microphone and began to make a speech:

"_My fellow ScaleZ, tonight, we make Empire City see who rules the streets! We got the weapons! We got the numbers! We got the power! Everywhere I look I see peace and quiet; disgusting! If I don't see people being nice, friendly, or helping one another, I see punks from the other gangs trespassing right on our turf as if they think they're so cool! Well, no more I say! People in this city have had it too good for too long! If I have to see another guy help another old hag walk across another freakin' street, I'll end up hanging myself! We'll storm the streets and show those Bone Bags, Nighties, and Bird Brains that the ScaleZ are the biggest badasses in this city! We'll start by going to the park and taking down the statue of the "shedling"! Then, we take what's rightfully ours!_"

Every single ScaleZ member began to cheer, holler, and whistle to their leader with militaristic weapons raised. They even called the statue of the Dragon a . . . . "Shedling"! That did it! The panda wasn't going to let these jerk-wads do what just because they have military-style weapons. That was the last straw; had to do something, but what? Yeah he was skilled in Jeet Kune Do, black belt level to be precise, but there was nearly half an army down there! He couldn't just barge in expecting they'd come quietly; he'd be torn to pieces in seconds. And there was the police to think about; what would happen if he was spotted by them? He really did not want to find out. He couldn't just stand there and wait for these scum bags to overpower the police and wreak havoc on the city, something needed to be done, right here, and right now!

"C'mon, Po, think!" The panda hissed to himself, rubbing both of his temples.

It was then that he had felt the exactly feeling he felt when he had jumped off of his fire escape and followed the police the docks. It urged him to enter the warehouse, despite his mind telling him that this was all psychotic and that he should go home before he gets himself killed. He sighed heavily, took a deep breath, then jumped into an opening that led right behind the stage; good thing there was only three ScaleZ backstage.

"Po, what the hell do you think you're doing?" The panda questioned himself as he sneaked closer and closer to the stage. "Okay, since I'm going along with this "suicide mission" I should at least need some cover."

He then noticed a table with ski masks and promptly took one as he fastened it over his head. Then, with speed that even he could think was possible, the panda took out the three ScaleZ and climbed onto the stage. He walked around the side and peered around the corner to see that each member was either grabbing an automatic gun, handgun, shotgun, grenade launcher, or bazooka. Questions ran through his head like when or how did thugs like the ScaleZ get their mitts on weapons like these suckers? It seemed unlikely that they simply just "stole" them or just happened to find cars that were loaded with them. No, someone had to supply them with weapons like this, but who? Someone with a lot of power and resources, that's for sure, but who?! There could be billions in the whole city and it could take years to pinpoint who the exact person was, let alone figure where they live or what they even look like.

"Alright, now we rumble!" Lidong shouted, raising an automatic and gaining praise from his fellow ScaleZ.

"Not on my watch." Po whispered, with courage that he didn't even knew he had, then jumped from out of the shadows. "Guess again, leather-brain!"

This caught the ScaleZ by surprise as their attention was turned to the apparent "rabble-rouser" that appeared out of nowhere. Though they were surprised by this stranger's appearance, they were more confused why he was there in the first place. This was their turf and their warehouse, no person in their right mind would even think of trespassing on their land.

"The hell?" Fung yelped, but fixed himself.

"Who're you suppose to be?" Lidong asked, not intimidated at all by Po's appearance.

"You don't need to know that!" Po replied sternly. _Mostly because I don't know what I'm doing and telling you scum bags who I really am is _way_ out of the question._

"Then are you with the Bone Bags, Nighties, or Bird Brain?" Fung demanded scowling, as did the other ScaleZ.

"How about D.) None of thee above. I'm not some street trash who thinks he can pick on the little guy just because they have a bunch of killer weapons. No, I'm the type of person who doesn't stand by to let garbage like you terrorize and harm innocent people."

Needless to say, the panda was shocked to hear how brave he was acting. Where was all of this courage coming from? Yeah he was cowardly when he was little and now he knew how to stand up to bullies, but come on this was ridiculous! The was half an army of them and only one of him; how the hell was he suppose to stop them? His thoughts were interrupted as soon as he heard someone clear their throat, he turned to see that it was Lidong. He realized that the croc was trying to gain his attention and as soon as he did, he spoke.

"Look, whoever you are, how about this: you get off of my property and I promise we won't have to kill you." He said, though it didn't sound assuring.

"Not gonna happen! You guys are going anywhere with those weapons!" Po shot back. "_Why'd I say that?!"_

"Oh yeah? And what are you going to do if we do?" Fung challenged with a smirk.

"Then you'll have to deal with me!"

The panda felt like giving himself a huge punch in the groin for what had just; why the hell couldn't he keep his damned mouth shut? That was it. He was going to die. He was in an abandoned warehouse that was filled with a bloodthirsty gang, all of which outnumbered and surrounded, and were heavily armed to the extreme. This was the end, and he didn't even get to go to the upcoming school dance (with or without a date, don't ask). He stood there and waited for the whole place to go to hell, but it was surprisingly calm and quiet. Each of the ScaleZ just stood there staring at him or looking at each other, but just kept quiet. It was only after a few minuets that the ScaleZ did the one thing they could do at a time like this; laugh their heads off! It was just too much, this one punk thinking he was all badass and thought he could stop their plans of taking over? Hilarious! Even Lidong and Fung joined in as they laughed so hard that it had made them gasp for air. Lidong was the first to recover as he wiped away a stray tear.

"Alright, alright, everyone chill out! Speaking of which . . . Ice this deadbeat!"

At their leaders command, the ScaleZ pointed their guns at the masked panda and began to light him up, some even laughing or hollering to their own gunfire. After a few minuets the bullet shots ceased, everything was quiet, and there was a huge smoke fog where the masked person was. As soon as the cloud lifted the gang stared in shock as the person vanished! There was no sign of any body on the floor or stage as far as any of them could see. Some even stepped on stage to see if the person, most likely dead, had fallen of the side, but saw that there was no body to be seen anywhere. But, before anyone could say anything . . .

"Ahem." Everyone spun around to see that the person they shot a few minuets ago was now on the opposite side of the warehouse. " Miss me! Miss me! Now you gotta . . . Oh . . . Ew . . . Never mind!"

"Shoot him!" Lidong ordered again, recovering from his shock.

But every time the ScaleZ would aim or shoot at the panda, he would just appear in another part of the warehouse saying things like "miss me" or "try again", which really started push them over the edge of their patience. It was the same pattern, they shoot, he'd vanish, then suddenly reappear. It was all quite infuriating for the ScaleZ. After the last couple os shots, the ScaleZ realized something the hadn't counted on; they were out of ammo! This guy, whoever he was, was able to evade their shots long enough for all the guns to run out of bullets. Even the Lidong had to admit, though he wouldn't say it out loud and kill anyone who heard it, this guy was good. Po was even more god smacked than the gang before him, because every time they shot at him he'd either jump out of the way, or move very quickly to dodge the bullets that came his way. Since when could he do things like that? Even Rob or Amber couldn't have taught him all that, well, maybe if they were Jedis . . . His thought soon came back to him from the galaxy far, far away as soon as he heard a low growl and saw that it came from a now furious Lidong.

"You know what, screw it, get him!" The large croc ordered.

His underlings needed no other command as they all pulled out knives, pipes, and bats (both wooden and metallic). Without any other command, they all charged at the panda with killing intent. Whatever made the panda do all those insane stunts and say all those things he never thought he say against thugs like these, he had no choice but to coöperate with it, just until he (with much luck and hope) made it out of there in one piece. It was by pure luck that he spotted a six-in-a-half foot wooden pole, picked it up, then began to twirl it as if it where a Bo staff. Every attack, strike, jab, stab, or slash where either blocked, redirected, deflected, or parried as Po retaliated by counter-attacking each ScaleZ that came his way. Any attack that didn't come the pole came from the panda's punches, kicks, knees, and elbows as he even sent dozens of them flying with only one strike. Though Po was severely shocked by his new-found strength, he kept his focus on battling the gang members that came his way. Some of the ScaleZ, like any other dirty swine that was below the law, threw grenades at him, but were swatted away with the help of the wooden pole.

Deciding to kick things up a notch, the panda snapped the pole in two with one of his knees, and now held in his hands two Kali Eskrima sticks. Things were no different from a few minuets ago as the panda was still winning. The difference now was that he moved much quicker and his strikes were more accurate as he used the stick in regular and reversed grip attacks. Things intensified as he threw one half of the pole away and continued his assault with the other half. After a few beat downs, Po threw the other half of the pole away and decided it was time to get his hands dirty. Yes, it was a little cliché that he yelled like Bruce Lee whenever he landed a hit on each ScaleZ, but the panda was really getting into every "Watcha!" that was shouted.

"Alright, who's next?" The masked panda challenged, pumped for another, beat-down.

"How about me?"

Po turned to see who accepted his challenge, only to receive a kick to his chest, sent flying till he crashed on a wall, then fell to the ground with a hard THUD! The panda, wobbly but carefully, stood back on his feet. Though he was in pain, he knew he had to shake it off.

"Ow. Just, seriously, ow." He mumbled as he looked up and saw that it was Lidong who had kicked him since the croc's right leg was out stretched in a side-kick position.

"You want a fight?" Lidong questioned, taking off his jacket and shirt to reveal his (possible steroid enhanced) muscular scaled upper-body And readied himself in a fighting position. "Well, you got one!"

Po regained his composure and went into a fighting position himself as they both charged at each other. Both traded blows time and time again, but it became clear that this guy's ripped body wasn't just for show, the guy had broken nearly a dozen walls trying to land a hit on him, and despite being skilled in JKD, Po was having a hard time with this croc. Every hit landed on him, he just shook off and was able to beat the panda all around the place! It didn't help that the ScaleZ were cheering for their leader and spitting insults at him every chance they had, man, did these guys have such colorful language. After being smacked by a back fist from the large croc, the panda decided that he needed to find a sort of weak-point on him, that is if there was one at all. Okay, he's a big guy and attacking his upper-body was no good . . . wait, that was it! He waited for just the right moment as Lidong swung another punch at the Po, but missed as the panda dropped into the splits and brought an uppercut between the crocs legs. Lidong let out a huge opera-like and was met by the sounds off his underlings cringing at the sight of where their leader was hit. Po quickly stood up and executed a tornado kick, which knocked the large croc off of his feet.

Fung, who had sat on the sidelines, saw that if the masked person kept this up, he would have beaten their leader! The great Lidong himself! This was something he could not accept and nodded to Gary as they both took out a bazooka (Fung) and a rocket launcher.

"You think you're so hot?" Fung demanded, he and the boa aiming their respective weapons at Po. "Well, burn on this!"

With that said, both croc and boa fired at the masked panda, hoping it would end him. Po, having sense both projectiles and having not time to dodge either of them, shot out both of his arms and then stopped them in midair. Needless to say the ScaleZ, Lidong, Fung, Gary, and even Po himself were shocked to see how strong the panda was since he not only stopped both projectiles in midair, but was able to hold them off as his body began to glow a golden color. Each of the ScaleZ noticed that the panda's eyes went from plain emerald-green to slit golden and his began to catch fire. This fire was unlike anyone present had ever seen before and could only witness as the flames engulfed both the projectiles in the panda's hands. Instinctively, the panda placed both hands over his head, which caused both inflamed projectiles to merge into a sphere of golden flames. The ScaleZ, unable to move or say anything due to their shock, could only watch as the sphere "exploded", sending a shock wave that caused everyone to fly all over to place. The last thing that anyone could remember was the huge flash that followed.

* * *

Outside of the warehouse, the police listened as they heard laughing, shouts, things crashing, gunfire, explosions, and even sounds of bodies being flinged all over the place.

"What the hell is going on in there?" Seth questioned, then got the surprise of his life as he saw a huge flash go off in the warehouse, but quickly shook it off. "Alright, cancel that last order; we go in there now!"

A group of armed officers nodded, then ran to ram the doors open. They did so after a few minuets, then after the eighth try, they had finally broke through the doors.

* * *

Po stood in a daze until he shook it off and glanced around to see what had happened. He then froze from shock as he noticed that each of the ScaleZ members were scattered all around the warehouse, unconscious, but alive (much to the panda's relief). The biggest shock was when he noticed that among those who were unconscious were Fung and Lidong themselves! He did it . . . He actually took down one of the four main gang leaders in Empire City! This had to be a dream, because kicking the crap out of guys likes Lidong and Fung was one of Po's dreams come true! This was indeed a fantasy worth reliving time and time again! He could hold it no longer; the panda broke out in a Michael Jackson dance in celebration of his victory well earn.

"Oh yeah! I'm bad! You sad!" He chanted while doing a moonwalk, then spun. "That's right, I came, I saw, and I . . ."

But before he could say he heard a loud bang coming from the entrance doors . . . The police! How could he forget that they were still outside? There was one thing to do when confronted with a situation like this; find someplace to hide! The panda dove behind some empty oil drums just as the doors burst open and the police scrambled into the warehouse. Po had to keep to the shadows so that he wouldn't be spotted, good god did he wish he were a ninja. He then crept to the entrance and carefully listened to Commissioner Speakman talk in hopes he didn't see the panda try to escape; how bad would that look? It was safe to say, Seth was surprised to see the ScaleZ scattered all over the place, which included Fung and the towering Lidong.

"What in the name of . . ? What the hell happened in here?"

"Commissioner, sir, everything's been cleared, weapons, ScaleZ; all accounted for." One of the officers, a bull, said.

"That's good in all, but who did all of . . ." Seth started, then looked around and gestured to Lidong, Fung, and the rest of the ScaleZ" . . . Well, this?"

"You think it could have been the Five?" Another officer, a female chinchilla, asked.

"Unlikely, haven't heard about them since . . . Well, _that_ day."

Many became silent as soon as they heard their commanding officer uttered those last few words, they knew what day he was talking about and felt as upset as he was.

"Then, you think . . . You-know-who . . . Might have had something to do with this?"

"No, this place looks like it was hit by a hurricane; he's too smart to get his hands dirty. Besides, these punks don't look nearly as beaten up as his usual M.O., remember the Skulls members we found a few weeks ago? One of them could barely open his eyes."

"But then, who did all this?" The bull officer asked.

"I don't know, but whoever they may be, they have my thanks and gratitude." Seth replied with all honesty. "Tell HQ to send a few transports, including a large one for Lidong; we have quite the load to bring back to the precint."

As Po made it to the entrance, he couldn't help but feel some sort of gratefulness from the Commissioner's praise, but remembered that reinforcements might arrive at any minuet. So, that meant he had to make like a banana and leave before he was discovered. Making sure that no one was looking, the panda rushed away from the warehouse and quickly made his way back to his apartment. While on his way, Po was spotted by yet another person walking home. This person was an adult ox in his mid-thirties with brown fur, short-cropped hazelnut hair, trimmed ivory horns, amber-yellow eyes, and a golden nose-ring. He wore a brown jacket, black short-sleeved shirt, black slacks, and black work-shoes with black socks. He stared in shock of what he had seen, but quickly shook it off.

"Alan, you've worked yourself so hard you're starting to hallucinate." He told himself before continuing on his way.

* * *

The panda, after a few "leaps of faith", finally found himself back on his fire escape and slipped through his window. He limped to his bed, taking off his ski mask and throwing on his desk, then collapsed onto his bed. It was early, but the panda didn't care, he had jumped seven stories from his room, literally hopped all the way to the harbor, fought an entire gang (plus there over sized leader), and barely got away without being caught by the police; one of which was the Commissioner and father of his best friend! But, he'd never forget that he had thanked him for helping take down the ScaleZ, that meant a lot coming from someone in his rank. The events that had conspired that night had finally gotten to him as he felt exhaustion and the pain from Lidong using him as a punching bag telling him it was time for sleep. His eyelids began to slowly close, but before he could get any rest at all . . .

"Enjoy your little stroll, Po?"

The panda's eyes snapped back wide open as he shot up on his bed and saw that both Robert and Amber were standing at the opening to his room with arms crossed and stern looks in their eyes. This was bad, very bad. So bad that the panda couldn't think of the right words to describe on how much trouble he was in. He just sat there as the grizzly and mountain lioness kept staring at him, which made him sweat a bit. How was he going to explain what he did a few minuets? Or, better yet, how as he going to explain what was happening to him, and how was he going to get out of being punish?!

"Hey . . . Rob . . . Amber . . . I'm . . . I'm home?" Po chuckled nervously, though his (foster/adoptive) parents facial features didn't waver one bit. "_I am so dead._"

* * *

To Be Continued: Chapter 3: Uprising Pt. 3: The Next Day

* * *

**So, at long last, there's chapter three. Hope it was acceptable. Little warning, ethos fic will be a 15 chap origins fic, but not to worry those who had suggestions, I will still add your characters, not as heroes in this fic, but I'll have them appear in cameos. I promise that as soon as I make the main fic, your heroes will be characters, this I swear. To my good friends, Animation 2005 and AnthroLover, this was one of your character's cameos, congrats you two! And to Shen's General, your one of yours has been mentioned. ****Till next we meet, King of 2211, signing off.**


	4. Uprising Pt 3: The Next Day

**I have returned! OCs, mine and suggestions of other authors, the rest, not so much. Onward.**

* * *

Chapter 3: Uprising Pt. 3: The Next Day

* * *

_Italics_ - thoughts, news reports, emphasis, and speeches

**Bold** - notes, announcements, shouts, and metallic

* * *

"Okay, before you start with the shouts, demand, and threats, just please hear me out!" Po begged, jumping off of his bed and onto his knees before his legal guardians. "There was this crystal ball . . ."

"Po-" Robert tried to say, but was interrupted.

". . . and then everything became weird . . ."

"Po -" Amber tried to say, but was also interrupted.

". . . then I could do all these freaky things . . ."

"Po-" Both grizzly and mountain lioness tried once again, but . . .

". . . and then-"

"PO!"

"Yeah?" Po asked, raising his head to look up.

"We'll listen to your explanation." Robert said with a soften expression, which perplexed his present company.

"You will?"

"Seriously?" Amber question, which earned her a shot look from her husband. "Okay, we will."

Po explained how he had found the secret room in Robert's study (which was totally by accident), saw the display case with the miscellaneous items of The Dragon (plus costume and weapons), then the orb and how it started to evaporate (literally) into his hands. He then went on how he felt weird, then fainted in his room when he collapsed onto his bed for four hours. Then, as he woke up, he walk onto the fire escape for fresh air and saw police cars chasing three black cars down the street. It was when he mentioned the part where he jumped off the fire escape that really got them interested, but left out the part where the little boy from one of the buildings saw him do all of the things he didn't think was possible, best to have no witnesses what-so-ever. The went on about how a new feeling in the back of his head telling him to follow the police down to one of the warehouse by the Empire City docks where, not only had the police completely surrounded the area, but it turned out that it was being refuges by a lot of ScaleZ. The most shocking thing was that Lidong himself was present and that the three cars, led by the second-in-command Fung, were filled with stolen military weapons. Even more shocking, they all intended to storm and take over Empire City, up until Po confronted them . . .

"The . . . ScaleZ . . ? Amber mumble as her left eye twitched, then roared in absolute rage. "YOU CONFRONTED THE SCALEZ?!"

"I really didn't, and I repeat, _didn't_ want to, I swear!" Po defended as he shrunk from the mountain lioness's searing gaze.

"Amber, let him finish." Robert sternly said, placing a hand his wife and calmed her a bit.

"Okay . . ."

"Thanks for the save, man . . ."

"Don't thank me just yet, you still have more explaining to do, so get to it."

"Right . . ."

As Po continued on with his explanation, he revealed that he had gotten into a brawl with the ScaleZ, which made Amber tense and Po had defended by saying that his body was acting on its own. Though hearing that every time the panda had landed a single hit on one ScaleZ (with and without using a weapon), he'd sent a bunch flying, was confusing, the grizzly and mountain lioness continued to listen. Amber almost felt like she was about have a heart attack as soon as she heard that her foster/adopted son went up against Lidong, but remained silent. He then got to the part where he had a hard time at first when he was fighting the large croc, he had managed to gain the upper-hand (though how he did was to be best unsaid) and was winning until Fung and another ScaleZ member pull out a bazooka and rocket launcher on him. Robert had to hold Amber still as soon as they heard that part, in case she blew her top. Though the panda tried to recall what happened after they shot at him, but the next thing he knew there was a huge flash and all of the ScaleZ were scattered all over the warehouse like broken toys.

"Then, that's when the police came in." Po finished.

"Were you spotted?" Robert asked worriedly.

"No, got out of there before anyone found me."

"That's good to hear." Amber sighed, finally calming down, though she was still very upset with the panda.

"But before I left, I heard Commissioner Speakman, Jeff's _dad_, thank me." Po added with a strange sense of gratitude from what he heard earlier. "It just seem too good to be true; someone like him, a true man among men, thank me of all people."

Robert noticed how grateful the panda was and felt himself softening up a bit. He knew that feeling all too well and it had been years he had last felt it, had it really been that long? It certainly felt that he saw bits and pieces of himself and the panda's father in Po, but he never knew how much like them he really was. It appeared that Po was meant to be chosen after all . . . but to explain it to Amber would be quite the challenge. Whether or not she'd agree would be an even greater challenge, but he knew in his heart and soul that it was now or never. But it was up to the panda to accept or decline; that much was still certain.

"Amber, we need to talk." Robert said, pulling his wife into the hallway.

Po stood next to his bedroom door to hear what his legal guardians were talking about, but found that they were at a distance away. Though he could make out the way they were talking; it sounded as if Ther were arguing about something. The panda could faintly make out the words "ready" and "chosen", which highly confused him so. What were they arguing about? Who was "ready" and "chosen" for what? And why did they sound so tense? Did they know something he didn't? If they did, what was it?

"Alright Po, you're off the hook." The grizzly stated. "But we're very much upset with you."

"_Very_ much." Amber emphasized with a glare, which softened as her arms found their way around the panda and bringing him into a hug. "But we're glad you're alright."

"I really don't know what happened." Po whispered, returning the feline's hug with his own. "And I never wanted to worry you guys."

"Okay, we know." Robert spoke up, placing a hand on his foster/adopted son with upmost confidence. "Do your homework, then go to bed, we have a lot to talk about tomorrow."

With that said and done, both grizzly and mountain lioness left the the room for the panda to get to work, then turn in for the night.

* * *

Things seemed normal the next day as Po arrived at Norris Van-Damme high. The panda tried to ask Robert what wanted he to talk about, but was told that they would talk about it as soon as he got home from school. Though he was confused on how reluctant the grizzly was being, Po just shrugged it off and hoped nothing weird would happen today as he walked through the front doors. As he walked through the halls, he noticed that everyone round seemed to be conversing on a certain recent subject. He knew what the subject on everyone's minds was, mainly because he was there to begin with.

"Hey, Po, wait up!"

The panda turned to see Jeff rushing to catch up and, in no time at all, the German Shepherd had finally caught up with his best friend. Was it ever a wonder that this guy was a track star?

"Hey, Jeff, what's up?" Po asked casually.

"Oh, nothing much, but . . ."

"But, what?"

"Dude, didn't you hear?" The German shepherd questioned incredulously. "The was a bust on the ScaleZ last night, they even caught Lidong!"

"Oh, really . . ?" Po almost smirked, but quickly changed his expression to surprised before his friend saw. "I mean . . . really? How?"

"I'm not sure, but my dad said they chased three cars to one of the abandoned warehouse down by the docks were the ScaleZ were occupied and that they had stolen a bunch of military weapons, so obviously, they could get in without being shot at or risk getting blown up. He didn't go into detail, but he said that they finally got into the warehouse the ScaleZ were sprawled all over the place like wrappers on the sidewalk."

"No way!"

"Way, man, and, get this, he thinks it could be one of the heroes."

"Seriously?"

"No joke, before they got in, dad said that it sounded like a war zone and there was a huge flash."

"Sounds . . . Unbelievable . . ." Po mumbled, trying to hide the sweat from his forehead.

"I know, right?" Jeff excitedly asked. "We'll, whoever or whatever it was, I'm glad someone stood up to one of the gangs here."

"hey, did you hear? There was a bust on the ScaleZ last night!"

"They actually got caught?"

"They even got Lidong behind bars."

"Get out!"

"I heard that too!"

"They say that it was one of the heroes."

"How, none have been seen since that "day"?"

"Well, if it were a hero, I say more power to them!"

"Here's hoping they go after the other gangs."

Yet again, the panda felt the odd feeling of gratitude as he looked around the halls; it was because of him that the ScaleZ were caught and everyone was in full conversation of the whole ordeal. So his was how being a hero felt like, weird, it was definitely going to be a challenge getting use to something like this. It was then that the first bell rang, signaling that it was time to head to first period. Both Po and Jeff hurried to their lockers, gathered their thing, then rushed off to class. Among the students hurrying to first period was Mel Tse himself. He had golden fur all over his body and tail, short hazelnut-brown hair, and light blue eyes. He wore a brown short-sleeved short, black cargo shorts, and black sandals.

"Yo, 'cuz!" A young 17-year-old silverback called as he caught up with the snub-nose. He had a muscular build with black fur (a little silver peeking out of his shirt), tailless (obviously), short rounded ears, short spiky black hair, and brown eyes. He wore a green short-sleeved shirt, light blue jeans that were held up by a brown belt, and white Sketchers. "I assume you heard about the ScaleZ?"

"Yeah, those leather brains got exactly what they deserved." Mel commented. "So, what up, Ryu?"

* * *

Lunch was no different than how it has been earlier as everyone was still talking about the bust on the ScaleZ. Of course everyone would still be talking about all of this; it was one of the biggest things since . . . _that_ day. As everyone went about their lunchtime separately and conversing on the latest big thing, while a young 16-year-old wolf made his way to a table outside to sit with his friends. He was about 5'4 with short raven-black hair, light grey fur, short pointed ears, crimson-red eyes, and pointed muzzle. He was wearing a red T-shirt, black sleeveless hoodie, black pants, and black boots. As soon as he spotted the table where his friends, which were a tiger and a black panter, sat, he immediately rushed to join them.

"Hey, Gab, Nero!" He called out, gaining the attention of both felines as he approached.

The tiger was a male, sixteen years of age with the usual orange and white fur with black stripes, nice strong build, short light brown hair, and green eyes. He wore a black T-shirt, white jacket, black jeans, black flip-flops (personal orthopedic issues, don't ask), and a red pendant with a tiger symbol was hung around his neck. The panther was female, same age as both wolf and tiger with a curvy figure, shiny black fur, long silvery hair, and amber eyes. She wore a grayish white T-shirt, silver long-sleeved jacket, black skinny jeans, and a sort of locket around her neck.

"Yo, Leo!" Nero, the tiger, greeted and gave the canine a high-five.

"Hey, Leo, I predict that you've heard the news of the day." Gab, the pantheress, stated giddily.

"Sure have, one gang down, another three to go." Leo, the wolf, replied with a smirk.

Inside the cafeteria a young 17-year-old year old wolf and vixen walked along until they found the perfect place to eat. The wolf was male with a slightly athletic build, about 7'5 tall, dark grey fur, short pointed ears, pointed muzzle, and discolored eyes as the left eye was red and the left was green. He wore a blue Captain America shield T-shirt, black workout pants, and black Nikes. The vixen was 6'7 tall with a slender hourglass-like figure, red fur with black on her hands (and most likely feet) that almost reached her elbows, white muzzle, black pointed ears, a white dipped tip on her bushy tail, beautiful long red hair that was tied back into a ponytail, and dark brown eyes. She wore a green short-sleeved blouse, dark blue jean shorts, and simple slip-on shoes.

"It's about time someone bagged those pieces of trash, eh?" The wolf snorted, though he was delighted that the ScaleZ were arrested. "'Bout time justice was served to these crooks."

"I'll say, but who do you think it was that got them if the police were outside of the warehouse, Danny?" The vixen asked curiously.

"No clue, Trish, but whoever they are, I hope they're here to stay."

As Po and sat at their table, the familiar ferret that was Larry had appeared before them.

"Guys, we need to talk." The ferret panted and was about to sit when he stopped. "Can I sit here?"

"If you want to." Jeff replied.

"Don't see anything stopping you." Po added, which the ferret complied.

"Okay, look, Jeff-"

"Hey, guys!"

The three turned to see a young 17-year-old female squirrel with a lithe build, short raven-black hair, brown fur that was dark around her eyes and stripped in the middle of her tail, and jade-green eyes. She wore a white blouse, black skirt-shorts, and black slip-on vans. This was none other than Cynthia Takeda, second-in-command of the Norris Van-Damme Cheer Squad, straight-A student, and (of course) the crush of Jeff Speakman. The German shepherd in question just sat there, frozen in time as the squirrel approached their table. This was a dream come true, the most perfect woman that had ever lived (in Jeff's mind) was only a mere five feet away, though only Po noticed that his best friend had zoned out.

"Hey, Cynthia." Po greeted with a smile.

"Good evening." Larry greeted as well.

"Mind if I sit down?" Cynthia asked curiously.

"Of course you can, right Jeff?" The panda asked, but had to elbow the German shepherd out of his trance. "Right Jeff?"

"Huh, oh right, you can." Jeff chuckled awkwardly, which made the panda and ferret glance at each other, then roll their eyes.

"So, you guys here about the ScaleZ?" The squirrel asked.

"Who hasn't, by the way, Jeff, I've been meaning to ask you about-"

"Look, if youre going to ask me how they unded up how they were when got arrested, I don't know. My dad and his team are still searching around the warehouse as we speak to see if they might have missed important evidence."

Po felt as if the air around him became as still as ice; did he leave anything that the police could use to trace him back to his apartment. What would Robert and Amber say? What would he say? Was he going to be arrested as soon as he was found out? Nah, that sounded very unlikely with the odds, more or less, in his favor since the only thing he had on him was the ski mask. It was a good thing he through the thing away before coming to school, no telling how many questions it might raise.

"Wish we knew who busted those dirtbags, they should be locked up with the key thrown away and without parole." Cynthia elected, which made Jeff stare dreamily at her.

"Okay, both of you are informative, but that's not what I was going to ask." Larry said, gaining everyones attention. "I was going to ask how a bunch a street thug like the ScaleZ got a hold on such heavy duty weaponry."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, think about it, the ScaleZ are somewhat intelligent, but they're nowhere near as intelligent as the Nite Shadowz or Raptorz and not even those goons could pull off a heist like that."

"What are you saying?" Po asked, now wondering the same thing as the ferret.

"I'm saying that there's no way creeps like the ScaleZ could simply stolen top notch military weapons, just like that. I'm saying that someone had to have helped them since the weapons they had would have been in maximum security. Someone had to have either taken out the security in the place where the weapons where for the ScaleZ to take them, or someone supplied them with the weapons."

This new discovery made both panda and German shepherd glance at each other with wide eyed shock. Neither of them considered the possibilities of how the ScaleZ got into possession of the weapons in the first place. The ScaleZ were the least intelligent of the four gangs of Empire City, the first intelligent being the Raptorz, the second being the Night Shadowz, the third being the ScaleZ themselves, and finally the Skullz (though their temperamental attitude made it difficult to determine). Even so, the ScaleZ were only a street gang, there would be no way they'd make it past the security that the weapons were held. Then that meant that someone did supply them with the weapons and made the police think they stole them. But then, if someone did supply them, then . . . Who was it?

* * *

Gym was like the rest of the day as everyone, student, teacher, and Aid alike were still on the subject of the ScaleZ and the stolen military weapons. Po and Jeff, however, were stuck on the fact that said gang had help obtaining the weapons. Who in their right mind would give such upgraded military weapons to a vicious street gang like the ScaleZ? It made absolutely no sense! It was as if everything was falling apart in Empire City; was it not clear that The Dragon wanted peace for everyone? Everyone went, especially all the girls, silent as a male cougar stepped in front of Po and Jeff's class P.E. class. He appeared to be in his mid-twenties, very muscular/athletic build, 7 ft tall with short brown hair, darker brown fur, a little white on his short muzzle, and dark green eyes. He wore a white short-sleeved muscle shirt that was concealed by a black sweat jacket with the school's logo, a pair of matching black sweat pants that also had the school's logo, black cap, and black workout shoes.

"Alright, listen up; my name is Drake Watterson and as of today, I will be one of your new gym teachers." Drake, the cougar, announced with much authority, but not too much to make him seem like a tyrant. "As I'm sure you all know, the ScaleZ were put behind bars last night, I say . . . HALLELUJAH! They're right where they're suppose to be; in prison!"

Many of the students cheered in agreement with the cougar, though Po stayed quiet, mostly due to the fact that it was because of him that this gang was caught in the first place. It was nothing to gloat about, because he knew there was something far bigger behind all of this, but what it was remained a mystery for now.

"If I'm not mistaken, the son of the man who made the arrest happens to be standing right here."

The cougar then pointed to Jeff, which made practically everyone in the gym cheer and applaud for him. Now Jeff wasn't the person to take the spotlight, mostly because he never like standing out in a crowd, but he would make an exception for this one time. The German shepherd was a huge Dragon fan when he was little, at the same time he idolized his father for being one of the most honorable law enforcement in all of Empire City. Not only did the older canine believe in true justice, but he also believed that The Dragon was a true hero and that he was the guardian that the city needed. It had completely devastated when they heard about the fallen hero, but believed he left a legacy that would live on till the end of time.

"Thanks, but really, it was my dad who did all the arresting." Jeff shrugged nonchalantly. "Besides, my dads thinks that it could be one of the heroes."

"Well, if it was, then I hope they realize that this city really needs them." Drake said with a sigh, but perked up instantly. "Alright, enough talk, let's get some blood pumping in here!"

Every student, especially the girls (who had hearts in their eyes from staring at the cougar), complied and went about their usual P.E. workout. For the rest of the day it was the same thing, evidently the ScaleZ caused a lot of trouble that they were almost called a crime group, but of course, they had long ways to go. Po was grateful to the fullest that everyone had been thanking him, but he was still more concerned about who had supplied then with all those weapons. If they were out there somewhere, Po needed to find them, and fast! That is, if he could or if it were up to him.

* * *

Even while he was walking home, Po saw that people were still talking about the ScaleZ, but decided that he really needed answers and kept on his trek. As he walked by, he passed a peacock and Komodo dragon, who stopped to buy a newspaper from a stand. The peacock appeared to be in his mid-twenties with white feathers, short white hair, short bronze beak, and light ruby-red eyes. He wore a bright green polo shirt, light baby-blue jeans, and white shoes. The Komodo dragon was also in his mid-twenties with a more muscular than the peacock, with lime-green scales (brown on his muzzle, hands and tail tip), short brown hair, and well ow eyes. He wore a black muscle shirt, grey cargo pants, and black boots.

"Look at this, Toby, the ScaleZ were finally arrested last night." The peacock told his friend. "Police say that one of the heroes might have been a returning hero."

"I see that, well whoever they are, I say more power to them!" Toby, the Komodo, declared wholeheartedly. "Scum bags like the ScaleZ belong chained up in a cage than on the streets."

"Even if some of the guys are . . . So good handsome . . ."

"Johnny . . ." Toby warned casting his feathered friend a glance.

"Oh, sorry Toby, you know I love you." Johnny, the peacock, said, giving the Komodo a hug, which the Komodo returned

"And I love you."

"So, where should we eat today?"

As he spoke, Toby had accidentally bumped into a young female wild cat. She appeared to be college age about 6'4 with light brown fur with black spots that went along her tail (with the exception of the black tip), fair figure, long shoulder length auburn hair, and ice blue eyes. She wore a black blouse with white sleeves, white jeans, green wristband on her right wrist, and black track shoes.

"Oh, sorry, did I bump you?" Toby asked in concern.

"It's fine, no harm done." The feline, but suddenly became panicked as she took a peak at her wristwatch. "Aw hell, gotta go!"

The feline then dashed away as both peacock and Komodo just stared in confusion.

"What was all that about?" Johnny asked.

"No clue, must have been important." Toby shrugged. "So, where'd you want to eat?"

* * *

"I'm home!" Po called as he walked through the front door of the apartment.

He walked into the den to see Amber pacing back and forth with a look of worry and dread across her face. She seemed to he conflicted and have mixed feelings about a certain something and it was apparently making her feel as though someone threw expired onions at her face. This made the panda feel a little reluctant to bother the mountain lioness since seeing her like this, but she would figure that he would be there one way or another. Besides, this was not the Amber he was use to seeing, no, the Amber he was use to seeing was the free spirited, easy going, and playful mother figure that he grew up with all those years.

"Amber?" He asked, which snapped her out of her trance.

"Oh, hey, Po." Amber smiled and hugged the panda, which he returned.

"Hey, is Rob home? I really need to talk to him about something."

"Yeah, he's waiting for you in his study."

"His . . . Study?"

"Yeah . . . He's ready to have that "talk" with you."

"Oh, _that_ "talk"?" Po asked sheepishly.

"Yeah, _that_ "talk", what else would he want to talk about?" Amber asked, which made both of them chuckle.

Po walked up to Robert's study and knocked on the door, but there came no reply by word or anyone opening the door. The panda waited for a few minuets in hopes that the grizzly would answer. When he didn't, it was decided that he probably didn't hear the knocking.

"Rob?"

"In here, Po!" Roberts voiced called from . . . a distance? Was he in the secret room?

The panda walked into the study and saw that the grizzly was, in fact, in the secret room he had the discovered the previous day. Po slowly walked right behind his legal guardian, who seemed to be in deep thought as he kept his attention to the display case that held the miscellaneous items of The Dragon. Though he couldn't see Robert's face, he could make out a serious expression from reflection on the case glass. He felt a little awkward, but at the same time he wondered what Robert knew about this room and why was it that it was behind a bookcase in his study? After a few minuets of silence, the grizzly glanced at the panda with one of his most serious expressions that meant that he was about to talk about something of the upmost importance.

"Po, do you know why I called you hear?"

"To tell me why all these weird things are happening to me?" Po asked, hoping he was right on the dot.

"Good guess, but there's more than just that." Robert replied, now looking full at the panda.

"What do you mean?

"What I mean is, ive been meaning to tell you about this."

"Tell me about . . . This?"

"Yes."

"Why, what is all this anyway?"

"Before I tell you anything else, I need you to answer me this; do you know why I have all these things here?"

"Uh . . . You're a huge stalker fan of The Dragon?" Po asked a little jokingly, which made the grizzly chuckle a bit, lightening his mood a bit.

"Again, good answer, but no." Robert replied, becoming serious again. "You see, Po, for twenty year, I wore this very suit."

" . . . Come again?"

"This was my suit."

"You're . . . Suit . . ." Po started, but became shocked and wide-eyed as the realization had donned him. "You're the . . . Wait . . . You _were_ The Dragon?!"

"Yes, I was." Was the only reply Robert gave as he turned his attention back to _his_ suit.

"But . . . How . . . What . . ?"

Po ceased his talking as Robert held up a hand, then took a deep breath.

"Po, I know you have a lot of questions, but first, there's something you need to hear. You remember the "crystal ball" you told us about last night?

The panda said nothing, but nodded nodded.

"We'll, that "crystal ball" was actually an orb, but not just any orb. That orb was known as the _Yongsheng_ _Ren_, or the "Eternal Ember". This is the power sourse that I used when I was was The Dragon."

"Wow."

"Oh, it gets a lot more interesting than this." Robert mused as he looked at Po with a calm expression. "Would you like to hear a story?"

* * *

To Be Continued: Uprising Pt. 4: Revelations

* * *

**Finally, that's over with. To Grizzly, AnthroLover, SpiritualLoneWolf, and my good friend monkeycyborgninja, your characters recieved cameos! I'd like to than Shen's General for all the help, I really appreciate it man. Hope you all enjoyed. The next chap explains, not only the origins of Robert, but of the legacy of the Dragon itself! So, stay tuned till then. Also, if you haven't checked out Dragon Warrior 2099 (the greatest marvel-ish KFP fic in the entire universe), you best git your butts over there and read all the chaps if you have to! Till the, King of 2211, signing off.**


	5. Uprising Pt 4: Revelations

**King here again, hope you all like the previous chap, because I had to update while is was in Anaheim; the home place of Disneyland and California Adventure baby! Anyway, OCs are mine and suggestions, the rest is not.**

**To monkeycyborgninja: sorry, I forgot to cameo your character, but now I intend to sow him in this.**

**On with the show!**

* * *

Chapter 4: Uprising Pt. 4: Revelations

* * *

**The Previous night**

* * *

At a building in Downtown, Empire City, a young 14-year-old wolf sat on a balcony. He was average looking with black and dark grey fur, pointed ears, short raven black hair with a bang that covered his left eye, which both were green. He wore and orange T-shirt, dark green hoodie, blue jeans, and black shoes. He sat a lawn chair with a Nintendo Game Boy SP in his hands, when he had happened to pause his game and look up at one of the buildings. As soon as he looked to the right, he did a double take. Did he just see someone jumping from one building to another? Or was it his imagination?

"Nah, I'm just seeing things." He shrugged, then went back to his game.

"Takeru, time to get ready for bed." Someone called from inside the building.

"Coming!"

He then gathered an empty glass cup and walked into the building to turn in for the night.

* * *

**The Present day **

* * *

"What kind of story?" Po asked out of curiosity.

"One that dates back to Ancient China." Robert replied, clearing his throat.

* * *

_"During the reign of the Qin Dynasty, _Shenlong_, the King of Dragon, came down from the heavens to seek out a warrior that was worthy to be granted the power of the dragons."_

_A shadowy image of a massive Chinese dragon is seen flying threw a golden sky that was filled with an equally golden bright, illuminating light._

_"He traveled night and day, but found only one that was the most honorable, courageous, valiant, kind, and nobelist of warriors. One that had became one of the greatest rulers in Chinese history. One that would change the world with the responsibility of the highest caliber. He was Qin Shi Huang; the first emperor of China."  
_

_The scenery changed to a mountain where Shenlong flew around until he had reached the very top. A lone figure stood proud and tall in golden armor as Shenlong glanced at him with his golden slit eyes._

_"It was at this time that Shenlong had bestowed Huang the gift of the Dragons."_

Shenlong_ blew golden flames into a single cloud that twisted clockwise, then counter-clockwise until it had transformed into a Yin and Yang patterned orb. As soon as the orb had landed into Huang's hands, he had begun to glow very brightly, then as the light died down, Huang was now shown to be wearing golden dragon type armor._

_"Knowing he had completed his quest, Shenlong returned to the heavens, but not before tasking Huang to use his new powers to protect and serve the innocent and never to use it for personal gain or any other selfish desire. This Huang swore with his life."_

_Images now show Huang witnessing Shenlong flying beyond the clouds until he had vanished in a bright golden light._

_"Huang, with the powers that he had now possessed, had opened the way, so that the many who had followed after him would bring honor to those who would be come "The Dragon"-"_

* * *

"Wait, wait, hold on, you mean to tell me there was more than one Dragon before you?" Po asked, surprised by what the grizzly was telling him.

"Yes there were and I'd be more than happy to talk about them if you let me talk." Robert said while casting a stern glance at the panda.

"Right, sorry, continue."

"Alright, as I was saying . . ."

* * *

_"As time went by, Huang realized that he would eventually become old and feared that he would not always be around to protect anyone. It was then that he had decided to teach what he had learned from Shenlong's gift to those worthy of becoming his successor. Huang held a tournament for only those who the most skilled physically and mentally in Kung Fu."_

_The scenery shows the shadowy silhouette of Huang atop a large stairway overlooking a training arena where hundreds upon thousands warriors of various species, big and small, male and female, did battle._

_"Days turned into weeks, then weeks turned into months, and still the tournament continued without showing any sign of ending. It wasn't until a year passed that only two remained standing, but their match had ended in a draw for Huang saw equally potential in both warriors."_

_The scenery then showed both figures of the remaining combatants engaged in their fight, trading blows in the form of punches, kicks, knees, elbows, ect., though it was clear they were equally match. Their fight came to a halt as Huang approached with a raised hand to the two warriors, who bowed in his presence._

_"These two were the most skilled Huang had seen and immediately took them under his wing. Both were known today as legends of both good and evil. They went by only two names; Oogway and Ke Pa."_

_Both figures stood to show that they were a tortoise and a monitor lizard. Oogway, the tortoise appeared to be in his mid-twenties with lime green scales, a clean-shaven head, bronze shell, and faint golden eyes. Ke Pa also appeared to be in his mid-twenties with light red scales, red eyes, ebony black mustache, and had a clear shaven head. Both wore red and cream-colored robes that only Shaolin monks wore and prayer bead around their necks._

* * *

''No way, _the_ Oogway?" Po asked in complete shock.

"The very same." Robert replied with a smirk.

"Well, don't leave me hanging, what happened next?"

"Oh, right."

* * *

_"Years went by as both Oogway and Ke Pa learned under Huang in physical, mental, and spiritual. Oogway had grown in wisdom, fought only to defend himself and others, became a merciful soul filled with generosity, saw life and nature were very valuable, and was beloved by all and Huang. Ke Pa, however, was quite the opposite as he became an arrogant, merciless, inhumane, ruthless, bloodthirsty, tyrannical, and power-hungry monster."_

_The scenery shows both Oogway and Ke Pa training vigorously as Huang inspects, but appeared to look more approvingly at the tortoise. Oogway is now seen defeating many enemies, but offers one a hand and smiles as he's accepted, But Ke Pa is seen showing no mercy to his unfortunate enemies as he finishes one off with a stomp and smiles dementedly._

_"It was no longer or sooner that Huang, with all the power of his Yingxiong De Ni (or Hero's Chi), created a an item of extraordinary prowess, an orb made entirely out of Dragon Fire. This was no ordinary orb, far from it, this orb was made with Shenlong's powers that would grant the wielder unimaginable power. This orb was known only as the Yongsheng Ren; the Eternal Ember."_

_Huang is seen standing on an altar, focusing his Hero's Chi, and creating a sphere-like object with both of his hands. His eyes began to glow a bright gold color as the sphere energy became a Yin and Yang symbol for a few minuets, then became hardened into a sphere-like object in his hands. The emperor held up the or for everyone present to marvel the sight of the orb, especially Oogway and Ke Pa._

_"But in doing so, another item was unintentionally made. This item was the complete opposite of the Eternal Ember as it was, literally, born from its shadow. This item was made of pure evil and fed on negative emotions such as: fear, anger, sadness, hatred, and suffering. Huang though of this very item as nothing more as a horrendous acrostic and had it locked away so that no innocent would be tainted by its blight. This item was known as the Yanjing De Hei'An; the Eye of Darkness."_

_Behind Huang, another sphere was formed right from the shadow of the golden orb. This orb, however, was completely black and a few inches smaller. Huang looked at the smaller orb and became appalled by the very sight of it. The scenery changes to a darkened room-like dungeon where Huang places the dark orb into a certain cage, then leaves the dungeon to be guarded by a battalion of guards._

* * *

"Wow, so your saying the orb that was in this case was . . ?" Po began, but could find the right words.

"The very same, that's correct." Robert chuckled. "Now, where was I . . . Oh, yeah."

* * *

_"It was later on that very same day that Huang announced that he would declare that he would name either Oogway or Ke Pa his successor. Oogway, with his five apprentices, were prepared to prove that the tortoise was the perfect choice. Ke Pa and his single apprentice were also present to prove that Ke Pa had deserved the title of successor."_

_The scenery shows Oogway and Ke Pa bowing with their respective apprentices in tow in front of Huang as he held up the Eternal Ember. Said orb began to glow and fly around both tortoise and monitor._

_"Though both had mastered their teachings . . . It was Oogway who was to be chosen and everyone celebrated."_

_The scenery showed the Eternal Ember evaporating into a mist that absorbs itself with Oogway's hands until his whole body is covered by golden armor. He is met by the sounds of cheering from both citizens, his apprentices, and Huang himself, but not everyone cheered for the tortoise . . . _

_"Outraged by these turn of events, Ke Pa refused to accept how he was passed absolute power. He challenged his former fellow student to a fight to the death for the Eternal Ember, which Oogway refused and tried to reason with Ke Pa. Ke Pa refused t listened and tried to kill Oogway, fortunately,he failed."_

_Ke Pa is seen standing up, angered that he wasn't chosen and points at Oogway to challenge him. The tortoise shakes his head and holds out a hand of friendship as if trying to calm his fellow student. The monitor retaliated by taking out a dagger and tries to stab Oogway, who calmly grabs the dagger-welding hand by the wrist, then merely flipped Ke Pa._

_"Angered by Ke Pa's actions, Huang banished him from the temple and commanded him to leave or be arrested. Seeing no other option in sight, Ke Pa's apprentice came to his master's side and helped him away, but not before Ke Pa swore revenge on those he thought wronged him."_

_Huang looked angrily at his now former student, the pointed towards the gates as the monitor's apprentice helped him up and rushed away. Ke Pa gave one last menacing point as Huang and Oogway looked on with tears welled in their eyes._

* * *

"What a sore loser." Po remarked.

"You have no idea." Robert said, shaking his head.

* * *

_"Oogway, for all the good he did with the power of the Eternal Ember, would soon be called by many the "Long Xue Zhanshi"; the Dragon Warrior. It was not long after that he wanted to share the power he had with his apprentices, then channeled his Hero's Chi into five gem stones: ruby, jade, emerald, diamond, and quartz. With these gems, he created the "Wu Zhong Dongwu De Hushenfu"; the Five Animal Amulets."_

_Oogway is seen performing a Tai Chi form, while at the same time channeling the power of the Eternal Ember into the five gemstones, causing all five to float into midair._

_"Each amulet held its own animal: Laohu De Hongbaoshi; The Ruby of the Tiger, Qizhongji De Zuanshi; The Diamond of the Crane, Houzi De Shiying; The Quartz of the Monkey, She De Su; The Jade of the Snake, and, finally, Tanglang De Feicui; The Emerald of the Mantis."_

_Each gem is shown, an image of a tiger head and character symbol on the ruby, an image of a crane head and character symbol on the diamond, an image of a monkey head and character symbol on the quartz, an image of a snake head and character symbol on the jade, and an image of a mantis head and character symbol on the emerald. Each amulet were held by golden neck-chains._

_"It was with these five amulets that the apprentices became known as the "Gaishi Wu Xia"; the Furious Five. Each also gaining the power of five different metals: iron, silver, steel, bronze, and brass. They were also gifted with their own unique weapon and ability: strength, flight, speed, invisibility, and mass."_

_Each of the apprentices then gained their own armor: Tiger with red, Crane with white, Monkey with brown, Snake with light green, and Mantis with dark green. With their armor, the five warrior also gained a different weapon: claws for Tiger, fans for Crane, Bo staff for Monkey, a pair of chain-whips for Snake, and a pair of Kamas for Mantis. _

* * *

"Wow, that's how the Furious Five was born?" Po asked, now really interested in the grizzly's story.

"Yes it is, those who followed Oogway added some thing to their title, while others didn't cal themselves "Dragon" at all, but I stuck with "Dragon" because it's simple, but to the point." Robert replied. "But that's not all."

* * *

_"Ke Pa, having plotted his revenge with non-stop training and with help from his apprentice, had broken into the dungeon where the Eye of Darkness was held. Having already taking out the guards, both Ke Pa and his apprentice tried to flee from the palace, only to run into Oogway and the Furious Five."_

_The scenery shows both Ke Pa and his apprentice fighting off the guards to the dungeon and stealing the Eye of Darkness. The next scene shows both Ke Pa and his apprentice running through the palace courtyard, but stopped in their tracks as Oogway and the Furious Five appear._

_"Oogway tried, with all the goodness in his heart, to reason with his former colleague, but Ke Pa would not listen. With all the corruption in his heart and his apprentice, Ke Pa had reached the peak of madness."_

_Oogway stepped forward and placed a hand on his chest, but Ke Pa backed away and broke the bindings to the Eye of Darkness, then picked up the dark orb._

_"Ke Pa then merge himself with the Eye of Darkness, and in doing so, became an abomination to both mortal and immortal kind."_

_Ke Pa then plunged the orb deep into his chest, much to the horror of Oogway, the Furious Five, and his own apprentice. The monitor's appearance drastically started to change and alter, until he looked more dragon-like than monitor like as he stood up and stared at the heroes with his now demonic-looking crimson-red eyes._

_"With his transformation complete, Ke Pa revealed he also forged an amulet himself for his own apprentice, but made a chain with silver and was powered by the spirit of the leopard. The gem that was a spinel that was as black as ebony and would be forever known as the Hei Zhou Hushenfu; the Dark Claw Amulet. As Ke Pa channeled the evil energy from the Eye of Darkness, it became another instrument of terror, and as soon as the apprentice placed the chain around his neck, he was transformed into one of the most vilest of warriors ever to walk this Earth. He had become An Zhou; Dark Claw."_

_The now demonic Ke Pa looked toward his apprentice, took out an amulet with a leopard's head and character symbols etched into the spinel, and channeled the power of the Eye of Darkness into said amulet. As he finished, Ke Pa handed the amulet to his apprentice, and as soon as it was around his neck, the apprentice gained black armor and became just as demonic as his master._

_"It was then and there that Oogway decided that Ke Pa was beyond reasoning and led the Furious Five into a tremendous battle of epic proportions. Though long and frivolous the battle was, Ke Pa and An Zhou having the upper hand at first, Oogway and the Furious Five combined both their efforts and powers. It was with their teamwork that Ke Pa was imprisoned in a terra-cotta statue and An Zhou was vanquished. their efforts proved victorious, but came at a horrible price."_

_Oogway is shown leading the Furious Five against Ke Pa and An Zhou, though it appeared that the odds were in the favors of the demonic warriors. Oogway performed a Tai Chi form, creating a large sphere of energy over his head, which was combined with the powers of the Five Animal Amulets as each of the Furious Five shot a type of energy from their hands. Without any hesitation, Oogway shot the sphere of energy at both Ke Pa and An Zhou and while Ke Pa was transformed into a sinister-looking statue, An Zhou was completely incinerated, leaving only his amulet. Everyone began to celebrate, but was short-lived as all members of the Furious Five fell to the ground._

_"While they were successful in defeating Ke Pa and An Zhou, combining their strength proved too much for the Furious Five, and they perished where they stood. This became hard on Oogway, but it didn't stop him from finding a successor to the Eternal Ember and the Five Animal Amulets, just as Huang did so with him. Oogway sealed away Ke Pa's statue and the An Zhou Amulet in a hidden chamber somewhere that, even to this very day, remains a mystery. It is said that after Oogway had found suitable successors for the Eternal Ember and the Five Animal Amulets, he vanished. Some say he passed on to the afterlife, some think he's still out there in another guise, but everyone can agree that he still watches over those who fight in his honor. Some weren't even warriors at all, some were chefs, cooks, farm workers, farmers, teachers, and even writers."_

_The scenery shows Oogway grieving over the graves of the Furious Five with their amulets in hand, but stands up in determination. The next scene shows Oogway overlooking a chamber of sorts, which held the statue of Ke Pa with the An Zhou Amulet around the neck, then turns to leave as the chamber become dark. Oogway is then seen overlooking six young children train, but as cherry blossoms fly around, the children are now seen as adults and Oogway vanishes. Many images of warriors that have inherited both the Eternal Ember and the Five Animal Amulets are seen with a huge silhouette of Oogway watching over them with a smile._

* * *

"Wow, that's awesome and all, but when's the part where you come in?" Po asked, despite liking the whole story he was told.

"I'm getting to that." Robert Replied calmly.

"When?"

"Right now."

* * *

_"Growing up in Empire City during the 1960's-70's wasn't as good as it is now, in fact, I was picked on and beat up every time I left my apartment."_

_The scenery changes to a young 14-year-old Robert being surrounded by a group of thugs that were barely 3 years older than him. A few minuets pass as Robert is now seen alone and a beaten mess._

_"Going to the police was out of the question since some were either lazy, cowardly, or plainly just paid-off."_

_Images of cops are shown sleeping in cars, while stores are being robbed, some are shown hiding behind alleys and dumpsters, and some are shown being paid by gang members._

_"My dad was one, if not the only, good cop on the force. But one day, he was arrested for a crime he never committed. Despite there was too much evidence that he was innocent, he was still hauled away to prison without trial."_

_The scenery changes to a an older grizzly being handcuffed right in front of Robert and his mother as they looked on with tears welling in their eyes._

* * *

"Aw man." Po said, looking at his guardian with sympathy. "I'm sorry that happened to you, man."

"Don't be, it's all in the past." Robert smiled, though his eyes showed he was really upset. "Moving on."

* * *

_"Things took a turn for the better when I turned 17, which was also when I first met your dad, Wilson, and Amber. It seemed weird, what with Amber being five years younger, but the three of us easily hit it off."_

_The scenery changes to an older Robert walking to a restaurant where he bumps into a young panda, who resembles Po, and a young mountain lioness. the three of them look at each other, then smile and walk to a table together to order their food._

_"That was also the time that martial arts was becoming increasingly popular throughout the U.S., the most popular is none other than Bruce Lee himself as his movies hit theaters hard._

_Robert is then seen walking to a movie theater with Wilson and amber by his side._

_"It was when I first saw Bruce Lee's "The Big Boss" that really got me into Kung Fu, but during those times non-Chinese weren't allowed to learn Kung Fu."_

_The scenery changes to show a now 17-year-old Robert watching "The Big Boss" with gleaming eyes as if entranced by the movie._

_"That didn't stop me, because as soon as Bruce Lee published his novel on Jeet Kune Do, I tried to copy the moves from pictures in the book."_

_The scenery shows Robert practicing JKD katas on the roof of his apartment building._

_"I thought I was ready to kick some serious ass, but little did I know, I was way out of my league. I remember confronting a group of street thugs that tormented the neighborhood where I use to live. I had the upper hand at first, yes, but I was too cocky, which lead to their advantage."_

_Robert is now seen walking up to the very same group of thugs that would usually beat on him, only this time, the grizzly looked confident and not scared. It appeared that victory was in the young grizzly's favor as he landed hits in the form of punches, kicks, elbows and knees, while redirecting, blocking, paring, and dodging each attack from the thugs. His victory was short-lived as one of the thugs snuck behind him and cracked him with a pipe on the back of the head._

_"I thought I was a goner, but that was when he came. It was as if he appeared out of nowhere, but when I first saw him, I knew he was like no one that was skilled in combat I had ever seen. The was he moved, the way he fought; it was like he had super powers. This was my master in Kung Fu, the reason why I taught Jeet Kune Do, he was my predecessor to the Eternal Ember, and the main reason I became The Dragon in the first place. His name was Master Chao Sie; master of Wing Chun and Dragon-style Kung Fu."_

_Just as the thug with the pipe was about to give Robert another whack, a had caught the pipe, while another hand shoved the thug to the ground. Robert looked up to see that his savior was an apparently short, middle-aged monitor lizard, who was bald with red and orange scales (black spots on the top of his head and black rings along his tail), and yellow eye. He wore a red polo shirt, light blue slacks that were held by a brown leather belt, and black work shoes. The monitor turned and kneeled to check on the hurt grizzly. Little did they know some of the thugs had recovered from Robert's beating, but it was the thug with the pipe who had made the first move in the from of a punch. The monitor instantly sensed the incoming attack and sprung into action! Even the slightest effort, Chao grabbed the punch by the wrist ad flipped the thug into a trash bin. The other thugs attacked the middle-aged lizard, intending to do him harm, but their efforts were fruitless. Without breaking a sweat, Chao was able to fly right through each thug until there was no fight left within any of them._

_"After rescuing me, he nursed me back to health, then told me the story of the Eternal Ember. I was skeptical at first, but as soon as he showed me the orb and told me that I was chosen to be his successor."_

_The scenery changes to an old room where Chao is performing Huo Baguan (Fire Cupping) on Robert's wounds, then as the grizzly makes a full recovery, gives the lizard a look of disbelief as he hears the story, but changes as he sees the orb for himself._

_"I felt that I was unfit to be chosen for something as big as this, but Chao expressed that it was the Eternal Ember that chose who it would lend its powers to, not the other way around. He also offered to teach me his styles of Kung Fu and to work in at his restaurant, which I accepted because I felt that I needed to make my living without relaying on my mom, but I also told him to allow both your dad and Amber to help around. Seeing that I loyal to my friends, he accepted and allowed them to work at the restaurant as well. He also allowed me to tell the both of them about my training and offered to teach them as well, which they both accepted. They had found out about my "secret" training, but as long as they told no one, there would be no harm done."_

_The next scene shows both Robert and Chao in front of the lizard's restaurant as they salute-bow and shake hands to seal their deal. _

_"It was to my surprise that six others not only came to work for Chao, but to also train under his wing. Five individuals of the six became dear friends of mine, and would later be known as the Furious Five."_

_The last scene shows six figures bow in front of both Chao and Robert, but it was clearly seen that five of the figures held the Five Animal Amulets in their grasp._

* * *

"Bodacious, does this mean you knew the Furious Five?" Po asked excitedly.

"Yes I did, but I can't tell you who they were." Robert replied seriously.

"How come?"

"We took an oath that whoever became our successors would find out form themselves, because that's what happened to us."

"No spoiler, huh?"

"Not on any circumstance."

"But, what happened after that?" Po asked. "And if you were alive all this time, why didn't you came back, can't you see people need a hero?"

This question made Robert freeze up and go silent, which made the young panda immediately regret what had come out of his mouth. The grizzly said nothing for a few minuets, which made Po very worried. Did he say something that hurt his guardian's feelings? He hoped not. Robert was one of the only two parental figures he had in life, he didn't like to see them sad; it just wasn't the way they were. Robert then looked at his son-like figure with tears in his eyes and place a firm hand on the panda's shoulder.

"Because Empire City needed to be at peace for a while." Robert finally said, wiping away a stray tear. "And I felt that I needed to spend more time with you and Amber, something that I rarely after you moved in."

"Really?"

"You're what's left of one of my best friend, and you're like a son to me, I'd never forgive myself if anything happened to you."

"C'mon, man, no melodrama, I get that enough when Amber watches her _novellas_." Po said, trying to keep his tears in check. "So, about Chao . . ."

"Another story, for another time, but now, I have an offer for you and only you."

"Which is?"

"How would you like to become the next Dragon?" Robert smiled.

* * *

The End of Uprising

* * *

To Be Continued: Descisions Pt. 1: Choosing

* * *

**So, there you have it, the end of the Uprising Arc. Hope no one was dissatisfied with what I made. Po now has two choices: 1.) use the Eternal Ember to become the next Dragon, or 2.) give it up and return to a normal life. Only time will tell, but for now I must take my leave. Till then, King of 2211, signing off.**


	6. Decisions Pt 1: Choosing

**Okay, I'm back, with chap 6, hope no one thinks little of the earlier, the OCs and suggestions are ours, all the rest; I own nothing.**

**To Grizzle Lee: Look, I know I promised to make your suggestions into characters, but they will only be this way in the main fic. Can you please be patient till then. Also there's only one suggestion that will be in action, but you'll have to wait to see though.**

**P.S. Po's father's name is Fa Wai, but renamed Fred Wilson Ping and Po is absolutely _not_ fat anymore, because the nine years of training has toned him up, so there! One last thing, if you can't PM me about OCs, I can't confirm anything.**

**On with the show!**

* * *

Chapter 5: Decisions Pt. 1: Choosing

* * *

"Come again?" Po asked, not sure if heard what was said to him was right.

"How would you like to be the next Dragon?" Robert calmly repeated.

"Y-y-you want me t-to be the next . . . Dragon?"

"I would be asking if I didn't."

The panda just stood there as he tried to process what he had just heard. First he finds a hidden room in his guardian's study, then he gain freaky powers from an orb, then he brings down an entire gang (one of the four most violent gangs in Empire City at that), then it turns out that one of his all time favorite heroes was one of the two very people who had raised for nine years after his parents died in an explosion. Everything seemed to have come so fast that it almost became a train wreck. It was as if his whole world had turned upside down and he was the one that was standing upright. Yeah, it was cool in all to find out that Robert was Empire City's greatest superheroes, but to pass on the mantle to someone like . . . like . . . him? It just didn't seem like the right thing, mostly because he had a lot of trouble with Lidong. The guy didn't have any weapons and fought with only his two bare hands! What would happen if he screwed something up and caused innocent people to get seriously hurt . . . Or worse.

"So, you're just going to pass me something as big as being a superhero, just like that?"

"It sounds a bit more complicated when you put it that way, but pretty much."

"Are you sure about this, Robert?" Po asked quietly.

"You don't have to decide now, but the decision is yours to make and yours alone." Robert replied, then placed a hand on the younger bear's eyes. "I'm not going to force you to do anything, take your time to think about it."

Po nodded, then walked back to his room to do homework, without goofing off as he usually did (which would be out of character if anyone he knew saw him). Though he did hesitate a few times, but not because he didn't understand the problem (which was all the time), it was because of Robert's offer to take up being the Dragon. It would rock beyond all reason, that's for sure! But he was barely a sophomore in _high_ _school_. How could he possibly be a symbol of justice for Empire City? This was a lot to swallow. It wasn't until 20 minuets later that he, in surprise, was actually finished with his homework _hours_ early. He looked towards his clock and saw that it was only 3:32; his favorite shows wouldn't be on till 5:30. This meant he had a lot of time to kill till then, this was something he really needed to get use to.

"Huh, so this is how it feels." Po said to himself.

He stood from his desk, walked into the kitchen for a snack, and saw that Amber was placing the finishing touches on one of her greatest desserts; blue velvet cake. Blue velvet was like the red variation, but of course, blue, and had blue-dyed sugar around the edges instead of crumbs. Just recently, Amber had purchased a vacant building where the mountain lioness was determined to open a bakery; her life long dream. Po had learned to cook thanks to her ad had become a second hobby next to martial arts, even Robert himself was a good cook in his own right. Not what you'd expect from some people like these two, but hey, what can you do? It was as soon as Amber boxed the cake that she took noticed that the panda had walked into the kitchen and became very confused.

"Hey, Po, shouldn't you be doing your homework?" Amber asked.

"Sit down, you need to hear this." Po replied in a mock mourning voice, which she caught on and decided to play along. "I've, well, how do I put this?"

"What, what's happened?"

"Amber, I've finished my work early."

"No, say it isn't so!"

They looked at each other with concern, but then burst into uncontrollable laughter, which lasted for a few minuets. Amber and Robert always loved joking around most of the time, though Rob was the mature one of the two, they always liked to keep everyone's spirits up. Amber always loved to see people smile, being sad was absolutely out of the question to this feline! She wasn't afraid to punch someone in their face or kick them "where it hurts" if she got angry (one poor perv found that out the hard way when he "accidentally brushed" behind her). Both bears made a huge mental note to never piss off, _ever_, if they valued their lives. She also knew how to cheer anyone up if they feel down. Though no one would expect it, she was a pretty good motherly figure.

"So, what up, how is it possible that, his majesty, the prince of goofing off finishes his homework early?" Amber asked playfully, taking a bow.

"Well, you see, I just had a conversation with Robert . . ." Po started.

"About wearing a con . . ."

"Not _that_ kind of talk! Seriously, that's disgusting! Why would you even think I would . . ? Never mind, that's not important, though I'd appreciate it if you laid off that topic for a while."

"Right, sorry 'bout that, you were saying."

"Well as you know I've recently found out one of my two legal guardians was once my favorite superhero, while the other was in on the secret, but that's understandable." Po said, casting a look of hesitation at the feline. "And we just had a conversation . . ."

"Oh, what about?" Amber asked with curiosity.

"Okay, where to start . . . oh right. Well, Rob told me the back story on how he became The Dragon (also with back story) and he's also made me a, sort of . . . offer . . ."

"What kind of "offer"?"

"Well, you see . . ." The panda mumbled over his words. "robertwantsmetobedragon . . ."

"I'm sorry, I didn't get that part, can you repeat that." The mountain lioness asked with her head cocked.

"RobertwantsmetobeDragon . . ."

"I still can't hear you, what'd you say?"

"ROBERTWANTS . . . METO . . . BE . . . DRA . . . GON . . ."

"Po, honestly, speak the king's English and tell me what you and Rob talked about!"

"Robert wants me to be Dragon!" Po blurted out, then gasped for breath. "There I said it, I said . . ."

"Stop tight there." Amber suddenly said, putting a hand up, then smiled eerily at the panda. "I must have heard you wrong, 'cause I could have sworn you just said "Robert wants you me be Dragon", or am I mistaken?"

"Well . . ."

"Answer the question!"

"Look, I'm sorry, I knew this would make you upset in all." Po said, backing up. "It's not like I asked for this to happen, what with what I was told and what happened last night . . ."

"I know, I'm sorry for yelling." Amber apologized, her facial features changing to concern. "It's just that . . ."

"Hey, Amber, what's up?" Robert asked as he walked into the kitchen. "Oh, hey Po, shouldn't you be "doing" your homework?"

Po's plan of escape was foiled as soon as Robert took notice of him. The panda looked between the grizzly and the mountain lioness, knowing full well that there as going to be hell as soon as the topic with Robert's little "offer" came up. Too late to back out now, for the look in Amber's eyes said much more than her false smile. Why did things have to be this complicated? Did he do something wrong in a past life, though not the type that tie in with Eternal Ember, that would be too weird. Well, not as weird as what was happening to him, but still.

"Actually, I've finished early." Po answered.

"Really, you, finish early?"

"Yeah . . ."

"Yes he did, then he came into the kitchen and told me something very . . . Interesting." Amber said in a mock sweet voice.

"Which was?"

"Oh, nothing, it was just . . . What was it again . . . Oh yeah, that's right; he told me about your little "offer"."

"What are you . . ?" Robert began, but stopped as soon figured out what she meant, the looked toward the panda. "You told her . . . Didn't you?"

"Pretty much." Po replied nonchalantly.

"Yes, he certainly did." Amber said sternly her hand on her hips, but became sweet has she looked to Po. "Po, could you be a dear and deliver this cake to the Speakmans for me; I'd do it myself, I need to ave a little talk with a certain _someone_."

"Sure thing."

With one quick swipe, the panda took the box containing Amber's cake and rushed to the front door before things took a turn for the worst.

"Wait, Po, can you lend me a hand here?" Robert uttered fearfully, not wanting to face his wife alone.

"She's _your_ wife, you handle it, good luck." Po replied, walking out the door.

"Yes, Mr. Glover, you're going to need a _lot_ of luck right now." Amber said starting to grit her teeth and walked menacingly up to her husband.

"Amber . . . let's not do something we'd might regret . . . I-I-I can explain." Robert mumbled even more fearfully as he found himself backing away from the mountain lioness, until she cornered him.

"Well then, start explaining. Now!"

* * *

Po walked along the sidewalks of Downtown, until he reached a cross walk. Normally, he would have ridden his motorcycle to make time go faster, but he felt that he really needed the exercise at the moment. As he made his way through the streets, he saw that everyone kept on the topic of the bust on the ScaleZ. He began to wonder how long this fifteen minuets of fame would last; probably not that long. His thoughts were interrupted as someone bumped into him, thankfully not enough for him to drop the cake. The person who had bumped into him appeared to be a college-aged white wolf with white fur (of course), long white hair in a ponytail, dark red eyes, and (oddly enough) scars all over his face, including a really big one on the corner of his right eye. He wore a black T-shirt, ripped tan shorts, red wristbands, and brown sandals.

"Watch where you're going!" The wolf yelled, then turned and walked away.

"And a good day to you too, sir." Po said sarcastically with a slight bow, though the wolf had already walked away.

"People these days, no respect."

It was then that the wolf was bumped into another person, who appeared to be the same panda!

"Sorry 'bout that." The panda apologized.

"I thought I told you . . . " He said while pointing, but stopped in mid-sentence as soon as he realized something. "But . . . you were . . . right . . . over there . . ."

The canine turned to search for the apparent "other" panda he had bumped into, but saw that he was gone. He turned back to the panda he had bumped into, he saw that his short black hair was neatly trimmed, milky-white eyes, and had slightly lighter tone to his fur. He wore a brown polo shirt, black jeans, black wristband on his right wrist, and white Nike's. It was then that the other panda had slightly longer hair that was messy, emerald-green eyes, and slightly dim toned fur. The other panda also wore a plain brown short-sleeved T-shirt, dark-green cargo shorts, and black high-tops. Despite having different clothing and appearances, the wolf could have sworn that they both almost looked exactly alike!

"What?" The (different) panda asked in confusion.

"J-just stay out of my way!" The wolf yelled in anger, then stormed away.

"And a good day to you too, sir."

It was then that four figures approached the panda: a Chinese peahen, a Tibetan wolf, a Javanese rhino, and a Chinese alligator. The peahen was (obviously) female with a nice figure, light-blue feathers with brown on back of her neck, silvery beak with a black tip, short blue hair, and blue eyes. She wore a red sleeve-less blouse, black jeans with a small belt and heart key chain on the right hip, and black slip-on shoes. The Tibetan wolf had grey fur, short black hair, short pointed ears, and red eyes. He wore a white V-neck shirt, khaki shorts, and black flip-flops. The rhino, being the tallest and most muscular, was grey with short brown hair, double ivory horns on his muzzle, and brown eyes. He wore a green sleeve-less muscle shirt that showed a lot of his muscled chest and arms, grey sweat pants, and black workout shoes. Finally, the Chinese alligator was male with lime-green scales, short brown hair, and blue eyes. All five of them appeared to be high school sophomores as they looked on towards the white wolf storming away.

"Friend of yours, Pete?" The alligator asked.

"Not in the least, Jim." Pete, the panda, replied.

"Very strange." The Tibetan wolf said stoically.

"I'm with Link on this." The rhino spoke up with his arms crossed.

"Of course you are, Mac." The peahen said with her hands on her hips.

"Okay, Sarah, guys, let's just get to practice or Master Wong will have us jogging on hot coals." Peter, Pete to his friends, said as he lead the group down the street.

At a nearby café, two females sat at an outside table; one of the females was a gyrfalcon, while the other was a unique type of vixen. The gyrfalcon had snow-white feathers with flecked black feathers on her tail feathers, ivory beak, long braided blue hair, and sky-blue eyes. She wore a white Capri, matching white skirt, and blue boots. The vixen had black fur with grey patterns and some white beneath her muzzle, short silvery hair, and dark blue eyes. She wore a plain white shirt, black blazer, matching black slacks, and black high-heel shoes. The both of them seemed to be in the mid-twenties and nice curvaceous figures as they were starting up a conversation about a certain subject.

"C'mon, Miyuki, you were born for something like this." The vixen pleaded.

"I don't know, Raine, I just don't want to take advantage that's friend is all." Miyuki, the gyrfalcon, said quietly.

"You're _not_ taking advantage of anyone! Look, you and I both know this is what you dreamed about doing, they even said my theatre wouldn't be hip. It's only been a year and a half and it's already one of the most popular in all of Empire City. I'm offering you this because I want to help, what do you say?"

"W-well . . ."

"Come on, you're young and beautiful, you're a natural dancer, and you have the voice of an angel."

"Oh, you . . ." Miyuki blushed with a small smile.

"I'm serious, I'm not only asking you as an employer, but also as a friend; will you please accept my offer."

"I . . . okay . . . I'll do it!"

"That's my girl!" Raine, the vixen, said as he hugged her avian friend. "Let me buy you a steak, on me."

"Raine . . ." Miyuki whispered in embarrassment.

"We both know who's going to win this fight."

"You?"

"Nope, your taste buds and your stomach."

* * *

The front door of a 6th floor apartment rattled as someone on the other side of the front door knocked a few times.

"Coming." A voice came from the other side of the door.

The door opened to reveal a middle-aged female German shepherd with black and brown fur, long blond hair, black pointed ears, and pale blue eyes. She wore a plain white shirt, black pants, and black high heels. This canine was none other than Melissa Speakman, the wife of Police Commissioner Seth Speakman and mother of Jeff Speakman. As the panda was best friends with their son, the Speakmans were good friends of Robert and Amber since their first year in high school; it was also the mountain lioness that introduced both German shepherds, who immediately fell in love and were married right after graduating from college. She was one of the best dentists in all of Empire City, though she was better with little kids since it was mostly the more mature that feared her really. Ironic, yet predictable.

"Po, I can't believe my eyes, is that you?" Melissa asked in surprise.

"In the flesh." Po replied jokingly as the canine gave him a hug. "Hey, Mrs. Speakman, got a blue velvet cake with your families name on it."

"From Amber, no doubt about it, would you like to come in?"

"Sure."

The panda walked into the apartment as the German shepherd led him into the kitchen. As he walked by the den, he saw that there were man pictures of Jeff with either his family, his Kenpo class, or both. Some showed Jeff on picnics, some showed him with his higher belt rankings, some even showed him with the school's track team, but what really got Po's attention was the on picture with Robert, Amber, Seth, Melissa, his parents, and, to his disgust, Shifu. The panda scowled at the red panda, he never liked him even when his parents were alive and he certainly did not like him now. He was anti-social, mean-spirited, cold-hearted, strict to the extreme, and (to Po himself) a murderer. His thoughts changed as he reached the kitchen counter and placed the box with the cake on the edge.

"So, Po, how have you been?" Melissa asked, trying to strike up a conversation.

"Well . . ." Po tried to say, but . . .

"Mom, I'm home!" Jeff's voice called from the front door as the younger German shepherd walked into the kitchen and was surprise to see his best friend there. "Hey, Po, what're you doing here?"

"Oh what, just because you live, that automatically means I can't visit now and then?"

"It's not that, it just that I didn't expect to see you over like this."

"I know, I'm just kidding."

"Po just delivered a cake from Amber." Melissa clarified.

"Man, I hope it's one of her blue velvet cakes." Jeff hoped.

"It is, by the way Po, why didn't Amber deliver this herself, is she alright?"

"She's fine, she just needed to talk with Robert about . . . something and I finished my homework early, she asked me to do it." Po answered, though he needed to keep the things about the Eternal Ember and Dragon thing a secret.

"Whoa, hold up, rewind." Jeff halted after hears heard something he never thought he would. "Did I just that right, _you_, of all people, finished your homework _early_?"

"It's complicated to say."

"Oh, and why's that?"

The three turned to see none other than Seth Speakman himself leaning against the dinning table, then walk into the kitchen.

"Hey, dad." Jeff greeted as he hugged his father.

"Hey, hon." Melissa said, giving her husband a wick kiss. "You get out early?"

"Came back to grab a bite since I skipped out on lunch, actually, and I see that you have one of Amber's cakes for dessert." Seth replied with a smile, then turn to Po. "Po, it's good to see you again, how's life been treating you?"

"It's been good, despite a little while was actually nine years." Po joked a bit.

"By the way, dad, I'd like report a crime." Jeff interjected, stepping between his father and best friend.

"Really, what about?"

"This guy, right here, finished his homework _early_."

"Really, well then , that is a serious offense." Seth chuckled, playing along with his son. "Because I've heard reports of a runaway goof-off abandoning his post. "

"Ha, ha, laugh it up." Po remarked sarcastically.

"Sorry, old habit, what's the occasion?"

"Just felt like getting some fresh air now and again."

"That's good, but what did Amber needed to covers with Rob?" Melissa asked, which quipped the curiosity of her son and husband.

"Well, it was something . . . "conservative" . . ."

"Like wearing condo. . ."

"NOT LIKE THAT!" Po shouted at the top of his lungs.

"Honestly, hon!" Seth demanded. "We save that talk for the _bedroom_."

"Really, mom, I'd appreciate to have an appetite at dinnertime!" Jeff added in disgust.

"Seriously, that's what Amber almost told me, Jesus Christ!"

"Sorry." Melissa whispered, blushing in embarrassment.

"It's fine, now where was I?" Po sighed, then tried to think of something, which he did. "Oh yeah, Like I said, I don't know, they didn't tell me what it was about."

"Well, tell them I said hi, will you?" Seth said as he was handed some leftover meatloaf and a slice of cake and was about to leave . . .

"Wait!"

Seth stopped in his tracks and turned to the panda.

"What?"

"Are you still on the ScaleZ case?" Po asked as he remember what Larry had said earlier.

"Just about to incarcerate Lidong, why?" Seth asked in confusion.

"Well, you see, a friend of ours from school said something about how they stole those weapons."

"Hey, yeah, he said that they couldn't have stolen them on their own." Jeff added as he too remembered the ferret's words.

"Is tat a fact?" Seth asked, interested what the friend of the boys said about the weapons.

"Yeah, he said that some one could've just given them the weapons." Po stated.

"Like a supplier." Jeff clarified.

The elder German shepherd stood there as he realized what he was told was truth. How on earth or hell would thugs like the ScaleZ be able to take weapons like that and not be caught on the spot? It was funny to think about it because they didn't have brains to pull off a heist like this in a million years, let alone five seconds. Their friend must have been very smart, because to find out something like this would take days to process before there was any answer. It was unanimous; he had a new lead, but who could have supplied the ScaleZ was the one thing that came to mind. He also hoped that whoever took out the ScaleZ the previous night would appear again, Empire City _really_ needed a hero during times like this.

"Boys, whoever your friend is, tell him he has my thanks."

"Sure, dad." Jeff replied.

"But why?" Po asked.

"He just gave me a new lead." Seth replied, then made his was out the front door.

* * *

It wasn't until half an hour later that the panda was on his way back home. Jeff due to track practice at 4:15, but had enough time to talk with Po like they use to when they were little. God, did he miss those days years ago and even apologized that he missed out on all those years while he was training with Robert, but was told that by the German shepherd that he understood and there was absolutely nothing to apologize about, because there was no harm done. That's what Po admired about Jeff, he was understanding, kind, brave, and a quick thinker, but knew how to have fun and when to have it. Though when it came to Cynthia, man did he lose it, big time! He then saw that a couple walk past him, both equine: a stallion horse and a zebra. The stallion was a male tall, stout, and muscular with brown fur, short black tail, short neatly trimmed black hair, and green eyes. He wore a red muscle shirt, faded blue jeans, and black nikes. The zebra was female with a nice frame and figure, white fur with grey stripes, long wavy grey hair, and emerald-green eyes. She wore a green short-sleeve shirt, blue skinny jeans, and black low-heels. The zebra had an arm around the stallion's strong arm, indicating they were a couple, obviously. it was also at this time that the panda saw something fall from the zebra's bag; her wallet!

"Hey, miss, excuse me!" Po called out, picking up the wallet, then rushed to catch up with the couple and presented them with the fallen item. "Excuse me, miss, you dropped this."

"Hey, that looks like my . . ." The zebra started, but as she searched her purse and saw a slight hole near the bottom. "Oh my god! Thank you!"

"Thanks indeed, who knows who could have found it." The stallion added. "Don't suppose we can repay you, can we?"

"It was nothing, I'm Po by the way." Po said, shaking hands with both equine.

"Name's Zeke and this lovely lady of mine is my girlfriend, Lara."

"Nice to meet you, and thanks again." Lara said, which made the panda blush.

"You do this with everyone you meet?" Zeke joked with a raised eyebrow.

"Just like to help out." Po replied modestly, then remembered that he need to get back home. "Well, I gotta get going, it's been nice meeting you, later."

"See ya."

"Bye, Po"

As he stopped at a cross walk, he failed to notice that four figures where sneaking up behind him. It was obvious from their clothing that they were Skullz members, but who they were was hard to say, what with the ski masks over their heads. Each had a different weapon in hand: a knife, a pipe, a chain, and sledgehammer. Slowly and quietly, they approached Po, intending to mug and do physical harm to him. They never had the chance as the heard a slight crash behind them, but when they turned around, there was no one or anything to be seen. It was then that they heard another crash, which made turn to where the sound came from, but saw nothing, though that didn't relinquish the feeling that there was another presence in the alley with them. The also noticed that one of their comrades had suddenly disappeared. Another crash was heard as another Skullz vanished, seemingly into thin air.

"Who's there?" The Skullz with the pipe called out, trembling a bit.

"Don't screw with us!" The member with the chain shouted. "Come out and show yourself!"

"Your wish is my command."

Both Skullz whipped around to see a dark shadowy figure that apparently towered them in a menacing manner. Both of the Skullz screamed as the figure lunged at them, and then . . . nothing. Complete silence. The figure open one of the nearby dumpsters, threw in two large objects, then closed the lid. As he did so, someone appeared beside the him and peered into the dumpster to see the battered forms of the ScaleZ members sprawled all over the garbage. As he walked into the light, he was revealed to be a young teenage hyena boy with light-brown fur with black on the back of his neck, long black hair in cornrows, and dark hazelnut eyes. He wore a plain, blue T-shirt, white shorts, and red low-top shoes.

"Taking out the garbage I see, Bruce." He joked, smiling at the figure.

"Don't start with me, Simon." Bruce, the figure, spoke quietly as they both walked away from the alley.

* * *

It wasn't until ten minuets later that Po found himself at the monorail station, which was one of the more advanced places in Empire City thanks to Wellington International. It made things easier to get around the city, good thing he got a monthly pass before coming back. He was about to board another car when he bumped into someone yet again, if he was lucky, it wouldn't be the same person. His prayers were as he saw that it was actually a male mountain cat, the same species as Mei Ling from school, in his early twenties. He had light-brown fur, short blonde hair, and sapphire-blue eyes. He wore grey tank-tops, grey sweats, and white workout shoes.

"Sorry 'bout that." They both said as the panda boarded the car and the mountain cat walked off platform.

As he walked, he saw two other felines; another mountain cat that appeared to be 10 or 11 and a lioness. The mountain cat looked exactly like the older, only with lighter fur eyes, and short brown hair. He wore a plain grey shirt, sports shorts, and black workout shoes. The lioness was in her early twenties with a nice figure, light-brown fur, long brown hair, and green eyes. She wore a white T-shirt, black hoodie, dark blue jeans, and black high-heels.

"Hey, Josh, what happened?" The lioness asked.

"Yeah, bro, thought we lost you in the crowd." The young mountain cat added.

"Sorry, there were so many people that I nearly trampled someone." Josh replied as he caught up with the two. "So, Jake, where to next before we go home?"

"GameStop, all the way!"

"Bella?"

"GameStop, it is." Bella, the lioness, replied as they followed the young mountain cat.

Po took a seat as the train began to depart, allowing him to see the city in all of its glory. Man, if he had been here during a sunset or sunrise, it would have been absolutely beautiful. That's when it came to him: if he wasn't there to stand up for the good people of Empire City, who would? Heroes have long since vanished from existence, which meant that thugs like the Skullz, the ScaleZ, and other gangs like that would see this as their own opportunities for their sick pleasure. That does it, the panda came up to a conclusion, but needed to get home to tell Robert himself.

* * *

"Amber, I know you don't like this." Robert said, trying to reason with his wife, who was facing away from him. "But try to understand, Empire City needs The Dragon."

Shortly after Po had left, Robert and Amber argued about Po taking up the role as Dragon, which Amber did _not_ accept. She could understand why Robert chose the responsibility when he revealed that he was going to be a superhero. The panda in question, however, was a whole different story. He was what was left of his parents, they raised and trained him to be the person he was now, and she loved him as a son too much; she just didn't want to see him get her. She remembered that Robert got into many fights with a hell of a lot of villains, including one in armor, and it nearly cost him his life with some. Then, she remembered the terrorist group from nine years ago and how Robert came back home injured. What if the same happened to Po? They would have failed Fred and Yu on their promise to take care of him.

"But why does that person need to be Po, per se?" Amber demanded softly. "Why can't be someone else, like a police officer?"

"Amber you and I both know that's not how it works when it comes to the Eternal Ember. It chose Po from the day he was born, yeah, even I thought it was crazy (still do), but it's Po decision if he accepts or not."

The mountain lioness remind silent and still faced away from her husband, not moving an inch. The grizzly them walked up to his wife, placed both of his arms around her waist, and brought her into a comforting hug.

"I know how you feel, I'm scared for him too." Robert admitted as he eased the mountain lioness. "I'm not forcing him to do something he doesn't want to do, but he accepts, we have to show a little support; he's not a little kid anymore."

"I know, I'm just worried, that's what mothers do for their children." Amber replied, turning around to return her husband's hug as he kissed on top of her head. "It hard to see him like this, so much like his father, like Fred."

"I know, I miss them too, that's why we need to let Po do this; becoming the man his parents wanted him to be."

They both looked into each other's eyes, then moved closer as their lips met into a soft passionate kiss. It was then that the front door to the apartment rattle as someone knocked from the other side. So much for the mood.

* * *

"Okay, I'll do it, I'll become Dragon." Po said with all the seriousness that he had,

"Is that you're final decision?" Robert asked sternly, walking around the panda. "Because if it is, there is no turning back, you must go through this till the end."

"I wouldn't accept if this wasn't my final decision."

"This is a _huge_ responsibility; the powers invested in you by the Eternal Ember are to be used to protect yourself and the innocent, take down any scum this city has to offer, and to make sure that violence is not necessary unless permitted."

"I hear you."

"Using your powers and skills for personal gain, starting fights, hurting innocent bystanders, or any other selfish desire is strictly prohibited. In doing so, the Eternal Ember will leave you, forever."

"Sounds reasonable."

"Lastly, you are to keep your identity as Po Ping as secret; no one must ever know that you are The Dragon. If you reveal yourself, or if someone finds out who you are, you must use a sacred technique to erase their memories. If the person is trustworthy, however, it is t be strictly confidential; they must swear never to tell a living soul who you are."

"I understand."

"So then, your mind is made up?"

"I'm not backing out now. If I say "no" then thugs like the Skullz, ScaleZ, or worse will continue tormenting people, just because they think it's fun. Someone needs to stand up to scum like that. It's insane to extreme, yes, but what else is there to do? I'm not accepting because I just want to look cool; no, I'm accepting because I know I'm the one person who can make a difference. For as long as the Eternal Ember burns, Empire City will always need The Dragon."

Robert stood in front of Po, looking into the eyes of his adopted son and saw the fire, not of the Eternal Ember, but of true desire to protect and serve. So this was how it was like when Master Chao chose him to be Dragon all those years ago; now he was beginning to understand to be a true mentor and to have a pupil like Po to look up to him. The grizzly smirk and placed both hands on the panda's shoulders.

"I believe there's a new Dragon in Empire City."

"Congrats, Po." Amber said, hugging the panda and kissing him on the cheek, though she was still a little hesitant about the ordeal, she felt that this was something Po really wanted to do. "Make sure you give them a few hits for me, 'kay?"

"You got it!"

"Any other questions?" Robert asked, though he already knew the answer,

"When do I star?" Po asked back with a calm smirk.

* * *

To Be Continued: Decisions Pt. 2: Focus

* * *

**Gakoshi Princess, Animation Universe, AnthroLover, and Shen's General your characters have been cameoed! Congrats to all of you for your splendid ideas, guys! There you have it, number six is a done deal. Raine looks like a recolored version of Renamon, for those who are curious. Hope this wasn't dull and everyone liked it. Till next time, this is the King of 2211, signing of.**


	7. Decisions Pt 2: Focus

**I'm baaa-aack! Another chap is up and for your viewing pleasure. DreamWorks own the movies and TV series, that's all there is to it and that's all anyone needs to know. Get it? Got it? Good! Now, where were we . . . Oh, right! On with the show!**

* * *

Chapter 6: Decisions Pt. 2: Focus

* * *

"That's the spirit." Robert said, patting the panda on the shoulder. "To answer your question: we start tomorrow, after you get home from school."

"Before or after doing my homework?" Po asked uneasily. "Because my I've never missed any of my shows since, well, since we got back and . . ."

"I'll tape them for you, so don't worry." Amber spoke up, then smiled. "Anyone up for dinner say "Aye"."

"Aye!" All three called out, then walked to the kitchen to prepare their meal.

* * *

Both grizzly and panda walk up to an apparently abandoned DeLorean factory, much to Po's confusion. It was like any other day at school that morning: students gossiped, did their work, ate their lunch, then went home for the day. Another perfect day, since Po steered clear of a certain snow leopard, snake, and tiger; what more could he ask for? It was the same thing when it came to conversing with Jeff and Larry, both of which were psyched to hear that a new video game called "Ratchet and Clank 3: Up Your Arsenal", that was coming out on PlayStation. Jeff even told Larry that he had his father's thanks on the new lead on the supplier for the ScaleZ. Needless to say, the ferret was completely surprised that Empire City's own heroic Police Commissioner had thanked him of all people! Man, was Larry the object of everyone's jealousy, especially the stuck up, snobbish popular kids. Okay, now that made his time at school better in his book. After the panda got home, he was told to change into his martial arts training clothes and walk with him to an old hangout place of his. The place, however, made the panda have second thoughts about accompanying the grizzly in the first place.

"Hey, Rob, you sure we should be walking around here?" Po asked a tad nervously. "I know the ScaleZ are locked up and the Nite's only come out at night, but what if there are Skullz or Raptorz lurking around?"

"Don't worry about them, I've been coming here for years and none of those dirt bags ever came close." Robert calmly stated nonchalantly. "Besides, none of those yahoos would think twice about setting foot here."

"Why's that?"

The answer came in the form of miniature dome-like cage suddenly snapping close right in front of the panda's very eyes. Po stood there in shock as he saw the cage sink into the ground and the hole cover itself. What just happened? Why did a cage just appear from under the ground? It was a good thing Rob stopped him from walking any further, or who knows what could have happened.

"What . . . was . . . that . . ?" Po asked, trying to process what he saw.

"I the place booby-trapped in case any lowlives try to hide around here." Robert smirked at the panda's expression. "Follow me, I know a path around them."

And so, both bears walked the path that only the grizzly knew, and in no time, they found themselves inside the factory. The inside wasn't so bad, mostly because it was empty, obviously it was folded up due to bankruptcy. It all came back to him, this was when the DeLoreans were the most popular cars in Empire City, despite having many complaints. How these cars even sold at all, the panda might never know, but one thing was for certain: the factory looked a lot smaller on the outside. It was as if someone had used a taffy-puller to make the place longer and wider.

"Uh . . . Rob?"

"Yes?"

"I've never been here before, but I don't recall they saying this place was so . . . big on the inside." Po said, looking around.

"That's because I built . . . this!" Robert replied, revealing that what looked like a long hallway, was actually a huge canvass concealing a sort of wall with an elevator!

"What the . . ?"

"Follow me."

The panda did so as the grizzly called up the elevator, which resembled a sort of large freight-elevator and as they stood, the elevator began to descend. To where they were going, the panda knew not at all. It felt as if he were in a James Bond flick, if ever. _Secret Agent Po Ping and_ s_hake it not stirred_; that sound nice right about now, they both had nice rings to them. . . No! He was becoming a superhero, not an international spy/secret agent, though that would be awesome to the extreme. Besides, using highly advanced tech with his motif would be ridiculous, unless it was a futuristic world, which it wasn't. His thoughts came to a halt as he felt the elevator stop, most likely they reached wherever Robert was leading them to. It was hard to say where they were exactly, what with all the pitch black of darkness that enveloped the entire room.

"Okay . . . what am I suppose to see?" Po asked, not really seeing (not funny) what he was led to.

"Oh, you'll "see"." Robert's voice joked from somewhere afar in the room.

"Ha, ha, that was so funny, I almost forgot to laugh. Marco!"

"Polo!"

With all that said, the panda was suddenly blinded by a barrage of bright lights, which caused him to yelp and covered his eyes. After a few agonizing seconds, he uncovered his face and opened his eyes. As his eyes adjusted to the lighting, they immediately became wide for the room before him was gigantic with a sort of computer system, a large training area with several types of equipment in the surroundings to the left, a type of armory to the right, a runway in the far left corner for vehicles, and what looked like a wreck room for chilling out in the far center. If he didn't know better, Po would say that the grizzly had his own "bat cave", what with the futuristic (if you were in the 80's) computers, only without the cave, and he was more of a fire-breathing motif. The awe and inspiring look ceased, however, as the panda saw the grizzly smirking at him and realized he was the one who turned on the lights since he was next to a sort of switch.

"God dammit, Robert, you trying to blind me?!" Po yelled, rubbing his eyes to clear the spots he was seeing.

"Don't appreciate the language, be glad Amber isn't here to hear that." Robert replied with a frown.

"Sorry 'bout what I said, but for the love of Jesus Christ, you could have let out a little warning before you decide to blow out my eyes!"

"My bad, forgot how bright these suckers can be since I haven't been here in a while, needs a few tune ups."

"Where is "here" anyway?"

"Oh, right, then without further ado, I welcome the new Dragon to his very own base of operations; the Dragon's Den!"

"I'm sorry, I must have heard you wrong, did you just say "Dragon's Den"?"

"Did I stutter?"

The panda did another one over of the area and indeed saw that it was something like base of operations would look like. Yep, it was official: it was the Batcave mixed with the Fortress of Solitude. The differences were that it wasn't in the Arctic, nor was it in (yet again) a cave, so those were ruled out instantly. First the grizzly had a secret room back at the apartment for his suit and weapons, then he had a secret base right under a factory? How'd he find the time or, more importantly, the money to make all of . . . well . . . _this_! This all felt a little-scratch that-a _lot_ too good to be true! But still, his very own _base_. A base just for _him_! Would he ever pass up an opportunity like this? No way in _hell_! This was a once in a lifetime opportunity! Something like this doesn't just falls into someone's lap out of nowhere. If this were a dream . . . he'd never, ever, want to wake up. Ever!

"I get my own . . . . base?" Po asked, still in a bit of shock.

"That's what I said." Robert replied, still smirking. "How's it feel?"

"I-I don't know what to say . . . Who am I kidding; what is there to _say_?! I got my very own base! This it way beyond awesomeness!"

"I'm sure it is, but we really need to be focusing on your training."

"Oh, right, so, what's first?"

"Well, ever heard of Parkour?"

* * *

After traveling through a network of underground tunnels, which led to everywhere around Empire City, much to the panda's astonishment. He then remembered learning about how slaves were saved from their abusive master in Empire City during the Civil War. So, this was how the Dragon got around, huh? Now the puzzle came together. If it were a (wild) snake, it would have bitten your head off, if it weren't so obvious. Both panda and grizzly found themselves back in Downtown, miraculously there was fewer people around to see him do anything. Po was then introduced to the, surprisingly, 90-year-old tradition of Parkour, which was recently adapted into something call Free-Running. Apparently, it was an athletic method of getting from point A to point B in an instant, while improvising different vaults, running, swinging, flips, spinning, swinging, jumping, rolling, and many more. Another thing to take in mind was that it is strictly non-competitive, despite practicing involves an obstacle course, but it is practice to be creative (sometimes playful) reinterpretation or subversion of urban spaces. Though he had trouble at first, Po was able to catch up to professional level fast than he or Robert had anticipated in an hour. With that settled, they both made their way back to base for the second part of the training; the weapons.

"Remember, the weapon is only the extent of our bodies."

"So I've been told."

"With the power of the Eternal Ember, you're able to channel your chi energy into basically anything you touch." The grizzly explained, holding two plain-looking Eskrima Kali sticks. "Remember the Great Hero?"

"Master Bayani?" Po asked, recognizing what his guardian meant.

The grizzly merely made a small nod, meaning he was right on the dot. Master Dakila Bayani was the most interesting Askal (Filipino mixed-breed dog) that anyone would ever meet. He was always so calm and laid back that he was nearly considered a middle-aged Filipino surfer dude. He appeared as an average short canine, being only 4 feet tall with tan fur, slightly long tail, short raven-black hair, and dark-grey eyes. He was a blind man, but he was supremely skilled in his family's version of Eskrima, which was a mix of every style of Eskrima in the Philippines, but only taught regular styles to everyone in different martial arts along the instructors (Sensei Parker being one of the instructors) teachers and only taught those he thought were worthy. It was also, just so happened, that both Po and Jeff were two of those Master Bayani thought were worthy choices. In fact, Master Bayani would also come every Summer where Po was training to teach him more about Eskrima, like he did with Robert years earlier with both Eskrima and Bankaw (Filipino Bo staff). Robert approached Po, gave both Eskrima Kalis to him, then stepped a few feet back.

"Okay, what am I doing with these?"

"Channeling your chi into them, concentrate long and hard."

The panda did so as he closed his eyes, took several deep breaths, then began to glow a dim gold color as he channeled his chi energy. It took a few minuets and looked as though Po was about to throw in the towel, but remembered that people in Empire City needed him, which made him concentrate more fiercely with his chi. It was no longer as he did this that golden flames engulfed both sticks, yet there was no smoking indicating that they were on fire. After a few minuets, the flames died, and the panda opened his eyes to see that both sticks had changed in appearance. They both became red with silver Chinese dragons swirling around with the left on top and right on bottom.

"Ah, sweet!" Po exclaimed as he tried them out a bit.

"Yes, they certainly are, on to the next weapon." Robert spoke up, taking a two foot long stick, performed a few tricks with it. One of the ends then extended, then the other end, then both ends as it turns that the little stick was a sort of Bo staff. "Behold: the collapsible Bo staff."

"No way . . ."

"Way."

The grizzly threw the now two feet Bo staff to the panda, so that he could channel his chi into it. Po tried the staff out and though he had (a lot) of trouble handling and getting it to work, he was able to perform just the right moves into a perfect combination. Then, with more concentration, channeled his chi into the staff as it also caught flames. The flames died and there was a huge flash as the staff extended to six feet. The light died down to show the Bo staff had also became red, but this time it had a gold Dragon on both sides, each with the head on the opposite end. This was different, but by far the coolest staff he had ever made.

"This just keeps on getting better and better." Po marveled at his second (or third or whatever) new weapon.

"It's not over yet." Robert replied, taking out the _piece de les resistance_; Nunchucks! "Like Bruce Lee, your signature weapon: Shuang Jie Gun AKA Nunchaku AKA the Nunchucks."

"Dude, if this is some sort of sick joke . . ."

"Believe me, you, this is no joke."

Robert threw the flail-like weapon and took out a second pair as both bears began to effortlessly perform and alternate many tricks. The panda threw his pair to the grizzly, who caught them and performed many more amazing techniques and katas. Robert then threw both pairs back to Po, who as soon as he caught them, began to channel his chi, while performing his own moves. Since these were Po's most favorable martial arts weapons, it was easier to channel his chi as both flails began to catch fire. After the flames dies down, both Nunchuck pairs had changed color and had Chinese dragon designs on each chuck, only the dragons were gold and the chucks were silver.

"Oh yeah, now it's a party!" Po announced, twirling a pair of Nunchucks with his right hand.

"Seems so, but there's one trick I think you'd might like." Robert mused, confusing the panda so. "If I can borrow the Eskrima sticks and both of your Nunchucks, I'd be happy to show you."

"Okay, so, what's the trick?"

"Catch my drift."

It was then that the grizzly began to perform many techniques with a pair of Nunchucks in one hand and a Kali stick in another. It was awesome to see, but what happened next stunned the panda. The grizzly then took up the other pair of Nunchucks and the second Kali stick and did the exact same thing as the previous two. What really made Po's eyes go wide and jaw drop was what Robert did for a finale. After finishing up the grizzly put all four weapons back to their original forms and placed them on the ground.

"I didn't they could do that." Po slowly said, amazed by what he saw.

"Never had the chance to use them like that, but you on the other hand, are a completely different story." Robert replied, smirking at the panda's expression. "Let's move on, shall we?"

* * *

"Try to hit beyond the target, use the flames of the Eternal Ember as fire power (don't laugh)." Robert instructed he pulled a lever to bring out a couple of targets, some were stationary, while some moved. "Your hands are like guns, while your chi and flames from the Eternal Ember act as the bullets."

"Eternal Ember bullets, got it." Po whispered and readied himself for the target practice.

As the timer went off, Po found himself shooting at the many targets that came his way. Like the weapons, he had (a _whole_ lot) of trouble at first, sometimes he missed and sometimes he almost shot Robert, he even shot innocent civilian targets. As he progressed, however, he began to get so good that it became all natural to him as if marksmanship was one of his untapped talents. Each time he fired Flame Bullets, he would use forms of his JKD, Wing Chun, Dragon-style, and Tai Chi before shooting. After a few minuets of target practice, the panda had finally blasted the last target and faced the approaching grizzly, who looked at him with a smirk.

"Nice aim there, Deputy." Robert jokingly said with a cowboy accent. "Still up for more?"

"Well, if the boot fits." Po equally joked in a cowboy accent. "What's next?"

* * *

The scenery changes from Po practicing his Wing Chun and Jeet Kune Do on a _Mu Ren Zhung_ (Wing Chun training dummy) to practicing with his weapons as Robert oversaw and looked on. The panda also used one or both of the Eskrima Kali sticks on the Mu Ren Zhung, while at the same time he used the sticks on metal bars and even large, wide redwood trees. Other scenes with the sticks involved Po in a pond, wresting a sort of automaton (don't ask), and using them to defend himself against any harm that the grizzly threw his way. Sometimes with two sticks, sometimes with only one, and sometimes using them (both or single) in a reverse grip in each strike or block he did.

The next scenes showed the panda practicing with his collapsible Bo staff in many sorts of combos possible. The first was using it like one of his Eskrima Kali sticks both on and off of the Mu Ren Zhung or thrusting both extendable ends at wooden targets and sandbags. As with the sticks, he had practiced on iron bars and striking a tree to strengthen his strikes. He alternated each of his strikes and combos by switching both extendable ends on every target that came his way or popped from the floor, moved in front of him, is fly above. He also performed many katas and hits with the staff perfectly extended to a normal six-foot Bo staff that he mixed with his JKD.

The rope-dart was next on the list as the panda threw and pulled back the cord with many combos. Most of these techniques involved long-ranged and hand-eye coördination was essential, but with a little help with the Eternal Ember, He managed to shoot each sandbag around him. Last, but never least with Po, came with his personal favorite martial arts weapons of all time; the Nunchaku (Shuang Jie Gun in Chinese) or Nunchucks. While holding one or both pairs, he used them like the Kali Eskrima in a variety of combinations in both regular and reversed grips. He then performed an endless numbers of flailing with one pair without effort or breaking a sweat. Even using both pairs was simple as he flailed both Nunchucks as if it were natural to him. While flailing he added a few punches, kicks, knees and, elbows to bring things to the mix.

He did so much more as he improvised by using two different weapons at a time, like: Nunchucks with staff, Nunchucks with Eskrima, Nunchucks with rope dart, staff with Eskrima, staff with rope dart, and even rope dart with Eskrima. It was tricky at first, but after a few tries, Po felt that he had everything covered. The scene changed to the panda jumping from building to building, performing many jumps and flips, while improvising many types of Parkour that came to him. The scenery changes back to Po practicing his JKD, Dragon-style, Eskrima, and Wing Chun, only now he was glowing with the golden energy of the Eternal Ember as he shot flames from his palms. He did the same with his weapons, which also shot golden flames created by his chi whenever he concentrated. After performing one last tornado kicks, that was a perfectly executed in a 540, He landed lightly on his feet, then turned and bowed to the on looking Robert. The grizzly approached the panda with a neutral expression, but as soon as he stood in front of Po, he smiled and bowed in return. The both shook hands, high-fived, then hugged as they started to make their way home.

* * *

"You've done good, Po." Robert commented as they both walked home. "You're one step closer to becoming Dragon."

"Done good, done good?" Po questioned, then did a little break dance. "I've done awesome!"

Unfortunately, one of the moves involved some kicks, one of which struck the grizzly right on his arm.

"Ow! Watch where you do those things!"

"Sorry, Rob."

"It's fine, and you're right, you did do . . ." Robert cut off as he sucker punched the panda in his arm. "Awesome."

Both bears laughed as they continued on their way. As they did they passed a male jaguar that appeared to be in his mid twenties. Had they paid any attention, they would have seen that the feline had yellow fur with black dots all over his body and tail, long raven-black hair in a ponytail, and caramel eyes. He wore a loose white shirt, baggy white pants, black sandals, and was carrying a boom box. He then found himself at the park where he placed the boom box next to a tree and turned it on. As the jaguar stood a few feet from the tree, the boom box played a sort of tune:

_Zum, zum, zum, Capoeira mata um_

_Zum, zum, zum, Capoeira mata um_

The feline then performed a combination of moves, all of which resembled breakdancing, though looks could be deceiving . . .

As both grizzly and panda continued walking, one of them felt a sort of bump on his should and almost tipped over, if it wasn't for another guy standing next to him. Both looked to see who had bumped into them and saw that it was a male tiger in his early twenties. He had a perfectly muscular build, stood a good 7 ft tall, typical orange fur with black stripes all over his body and tail, short brown hair, and amber eyes. He wore a tan T-shirt, grey hoodie, khaki shorts, beaded necklace around his neck, and brown sandals. He had a sort of disciplined aura around him, but didn't appeared to be harsh, and would be a heart-throb if there were any females around.

"Sorry 'bout that." Po said sheepishly.

"Sorry." Robert said, bowing his head a bit.

"It's fine, I should have looked where I was going, excuse me please." The tiger said, taking a bow, but as he walked away, his stomach let out a low rumble; it was time to eat. "Time for some sushi."

It was only fifteen minuets as both bears found themselves back at their apartment, though Amber was nowhere to be seen, most likely she was off on an errand. This gave both of the guys time to fit in a latest edition of Dimensional Fighter. Man, did they love that video game franchise, emphasis on love. This one of the very few martial arts-based video game series that Po actually liked since it had a character he liked a lot; Long Shu, a Shaolin monk that was also skilled in Jeet Kune Do. Robert's favorite character was an urban street fighting cop, who was also skilled in Jeet Kune Do; Jackie Statham. It grew in popularity as an arcade game, seven in all to be exact, and the creators decided to recreate the whole series on PlayStation as of recently; good thing Po already finished his homework. It must have been hours as they two played, for as they were about to turn off the game, the sound of the front front door opening caught their attention.

"Guys, I'm home!" Amber called as the feline walked into the den. "So, how was training?"

"Passed every test with flying colors." Robert replied with a smirk."Weapons, hand-to-hand, long-range, everything; now there's one last piece to this puzzle."

"Yeah . . . Which is?" Po asked, not getting what his legal guardian was talking about.

"Yeah, if Po's got everything down, what could he be missing?" The mountain lioness questioned with a raised eyebrow, which brought a smirk to the grizzly's lips.

"You still got Nora's number?"

* * *

In an apartment somewhere in Uptown Empire City, a phone started to ring as the person who lived there walked over to answer it. It appeared to be a female mouse in her early thirties and, man oh man, did she have looks that would melt any guy she came across. She had long wavy blonde hair with pink highlights, milky white fur, long ping fleshy tail, and light-pink eyes. Her clothing would have made any male treat her as a queen as she wore a simple white tank top and blue shorts.

"You got Nora, can I help you?" The mouse asked and was surprised to hear the voice on the other line. "Amber, oh my god, how've you been?"

"I'm good, how about you?"

Nora Wells was good friends with Amber ever since her senior year in high school fifteen years ago. She was an outcast on the count of her being openly bisexual; yes, even in Empire City LGBTs were picked on by homophobes. She was faced with harassment from everyone around her until she met Robert and Amber. They both came to her rescue when a couple of players from the football team attempted to rape her. One thing was for sure with the rodent: she admired martial arts. Though she was offered to learn Jeet Kune Do, she settled on learning Wing Chun, which Robert was happy to teach. It was safe to say that it was a shock to hear that she was the illegitimate daughter of Dierdrich Willis, the guy who knew Robert was The Dragon and proudly made the iconic suit he wore. It was due to her neglectful, drug addict mother that she had moved to Empire City to search for her family. After a quick DNA, Dierdrich accepted Nora and they both lived making costumes for Robert in secret.

"Great! Business' hasn't been better. How's Rob these days, you know, since he "retired"?"

"We don't like talking about it, but he's alright."

"Is he still as scrumptious, since last I saw him."

"Oh, yeah."

"Are you still as sexy as you always are?"

"Girls, please, not while I'm present!" Another voice called from the same line as Amber. "I swear, you two will hive he a heart attack!"

"Who's that?" Nora asked in confusion.

"Oh, that was just Po." Amber replied nonchalantly.

"That was Po? Hey, Po, what's up, how've you been?"

"We'll, despite all the weird stuff that's been happening (don't ask), I've been awesome!"

"That's actually why I called, Nor, I need a kinda "suit" made for Po. You know, like how your dad made Rob's. Here I have the designs, get your sketch book out."

It took about ten minuets for the mountain lioness to describe her design, but the mouse kept up as she drew what she heard. It took another ten minuets to make sure every detail was absolutely perfect as well as the coloring. After she was finished, the mouse smiled at her handy work. A masterpiece, if ever there was one, now she and her father needed to get cracking on it at their earliest convenience.

"Alright, got it."

"Thanks, Nora, you're the best."

"I know."

"When can we expect it to be done?"

"Not sure . . . how does sunday afternoon sound?"

"It sounds fan-freakin-tastic!" The felines voice exclaimed in pure joy. "How can we ever repay you?"

''Think you can whip up one of your rum-cream pies?" The mouse innocently asked.

* * *

"Are you sure about this?" Po asked, not knowing if it were wise to be taking chances.

"Not to worry, Po, Nora's a good friend of ours." Amber smiled. "We can trust her."

"But to let her in on my "other identity"? Nothing personal and I have nothing against her, I really don't since she's a nice person, but I don't think we should be telling just anyone."

"It's alright, she already knows I was The Dragon before you, we can trust her." Robert assured wholeheartedly. "Why, if it weren't for her father, I wouldn't have been "properly dressed" all those years ago?"

"But why can't I just wear the threads you have?"

"Okay, then why not use mine, hm?" Robert asked rhetorically. "You want to answer all the questions should anyone get suspicious about two guys with the same costume?"

"What do you mean?"

"What I mean is just that: it's considered an insult for someone to do anything if they were the exact same threads as the "deceased", even if the person is another superhero."

Damn, how the hell does he do that?

"Now that you've mentioned it, you bring up a ver good point.

"Thought so."

"So, now would you say the puzzle's complete?" Amber asked sarcastically.

"As of Sunday, yeah, pretty much." Robert replied.

"Hm, wonder how my new threads will fit?" Po asked no one in particular.

* * *

To Be Continued: Decisions Pt. 3: In Action

* * *

**Learning Filipino**

Dakila: Great

Bayani: Hero

* * *

**Hope everyone liked this little filler of mine. AnthroLover, your genius creations are now characters! Congratulations! For those who don't know what Parkour, or free-running are: you do now. It was also invented by a Frenchman named Raymond Belle, then fully endorsed by his son, the legendary David Belle and David's best friend Sebastien Foucan. All three of which were the original members of the Yamakasi back in the 1980's. If anyone needs help with their own fics, you should look up AnthroLover immediately! If anyone has any character suggestions, feel free to check chap 1 of Suggestions. Lastly, if you have not read Dragon Warrior 2099 from my good friend and fellow author monkeycyborgninja . . . GET YER MISERABLE HIDES TO HIS PROFILE AND READ EVER CHAP IF YOU HAVE TO! IT'S THE BEST KFP MIXED WITH MARVEL COMICS IN THE HISTORY OF ANYTHING! (sighs, deep breathing, inhale, exhale) Sorry, just had to get that off my chest, hope no one is offended. Till next time. This if King of 2211, signing off.**


	8. Decisions Pt 3: In Action

**Guess who's back. Back again. King is back. Tell a friend. Guess who's back, guess who's back, guess who's back, guess who's back, guess who's back, guess who's back, guess who's back.**

**What up guys, sorry 'bout the top, had Eminem stuck in my head (had to find one way to get him out). Anyway, here's the 8th chap of Dragon, finally, hope it keeps up with the rest. KFP, DreamWorks, the rest, everyone else.**

**Enjoy.**

* * *

Chapter 7: Decisions Pt. 3: In Action

* * *

It was another beautiful Monday morning in the dazzling Empire City as people went about their daily activities: adults went to work and students went to school. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary, in fact, everything seemed to be calm and quiet at this time (excluding the sounds of the city os course). It all seemed that this day would be just as normal as any day of the week . . . That is until three black vans pulled up in front of the First Bank of Empire City. Inside the bank, people were unaware that eighteen figures, mostly men with a few women, with guns approached, and as they were inside . . .

SHOOT

Everyone present began to scream as one of the figures shot out a few warning shots, signaling their entrance. As far as anyone could see, these figures all wore black shirts, white jackets with birds wings and talons logos on the back, white cargo pants, white boots, and ski masks to hide their identities, so that no one could identify them. Though no one could see who they were, they having avian-like beaks and their clothing made it perfectly clear that they were one of the four gangs of Empire City; the Raptorz (which were birds of prey, not dinosaurs). They were as equally bad as both the Skullz and the ScaleZ, if not a bit worse. Just a bit, nothing more, nothing less. It was also clear that one of them, a female by her physical appearance, stood out of all the Raptorz, having an aura of control out of any of the 18.

"Alright, here's the deal: everyone gets down on the ground, you give us the money you have in the vault, and no one gets hurt." She said, plain and simple as if it were a minor request. "Oh, and if anyone tries any "heroics", I won't be held responsible if my or the others' guns blow your heads off."

"Now that doesn't seem very nice, how's about we all play a game of Go-Fish instead, huh?"

This made everyone in the bank, including the Raptorz, look around to see who had just spoken. They saw no one stand up or move to confirm they had said a word at all. That didn't stop everyone from looking around, though. No, that voice sounded a little too close to be just anywhere than nowhere. It sounded as if it were in the very room where everyone was gathered.

"Over here . . ."

Everyone turned to see who was the source of the voice, and as soon as they found the person, they were shocked by the sight. Walking out of the shadows from the left corner was an apparently male figure wearing a silver bodysuit with red crack-like markings all his body and legs which led to inside of his gloves and digit tips of the fingers, red boots, gold dragon on the chest, Chinese character for "Dragon" on the back, silver mask with a golden design in the middle and red one-way lenses with golden lining that made it look like a dragon's head (which covered his whole head), and a gold belt with a Yin Yang symbol in the center. Everyone stared in shock by the appearance of the newcomer so much that no one, not even the Raptorz, spoke a single word. Where'd this guy come from? Wasn't the front entrance covered? How'd he get in without being seen or heard?

"The hell's this guy suppose to be?" One of the male Raptorz questioned, but was met with no answer.

"Where he came from is what I'd like to know." Another male stated, which they all agreed on.

"Okay, who are you, and why should we ice you where you stand?" The female, who was their apparent superior, demanded as she aimed her gun at the stranger.

"Oh, well, you see, that's kinda . . . complicated." The costume stranger replied, rubbing the back of his head.

"Why?"

"Because . . . I'm the Dragon!"

The Raptorz merely stared at the person, glanced at one another, then broke out into laughter. Some even fell to the floor and rocked back and forth. Was this guy for real? The Dragon was dead! He died nine years ago! And this geekasaurus thought that just because he wore some flashy outfit, that he would honestly and automatically become a superhero?! Get with the program! There was no way that was going to happen! While the Raptorz laughed, the civilians and workers looked at the costumed person in pity. Did he not realize how much danger he was in? Did he think that just because he named himself after the city's guardian that would make him invincible? The costumed person, however; knew he should have expected something like this would happen . . . again. What, was it so hard to announce who he was and not be ridiculed by it? Apparently . . . yes, yes it was to these low lives.

"You . . . "The Dragon"?" One of the Raptorz member wheezed.

"Yeah, right . . . that guy's dead!" Another member coughed.

"He ain't the only one . . ." A third member said, pointing his gun at the costumed person, which his comrades followed and made their target regain his posture.

"So, that's how it's going to be, then you need to ask yourselves one question: "Do I feel lucky?"." The "Dragon" asked in a Dirty Harry-like voice, which seemed to give everyone present the chills. "Well, do ya, punks?"

Both the Raptorz and "Dragon" did nothing at first, but stare each other down as if they were in an Old Western flick; the "Dragon" would be the sheriff and the Raptorz would be the bandits. The only thing that were missing were the clothing, the setting, maybe a little tumbleweeds here and there, and that catchy little whistle-like tune. Before any of the gang members could make a single shot at the "costumed freak" . . .

"Draw!"

It came without warning; several flame-like projectiles at each of the guns that the Raptorz held were fired . . . from both of the costumed person's index fingers! Right after each of the guns were melted a bit, the person blew on them like one would do with a revolver, and pretended to holster his so-called "guns" to his sides. He then brought out one of his finger, but as he tried to shoot some more . . . CLICK! CLICK! CLICK! . . . that . . . wasn't suppose to happen . . .

"Okay . . . that's not good." The "Dragon" murmured as he checked both of his fingers, but what he didn't see was that this was opportunity for the thugs.

"Well, don't just stand there, get this freak!" The femme leader yelled.

"Get _me_, oh no, whatever shall I do . . ."

"Just don't struggle, it'll only be more of a bitch!" One of the Raptorz said, taking out a lead pipe and brining it down to physically harm to his target.

Everything seemed to go in slow-motion as the "Dragon" reached behind his waist for a miniature pole-like object on the belt. As soon as both of his hands grasped onto the object, the "Dragon" flipped two little knobs, which extended the object into a full, 6 foot Bo staff. The "Dragon" jumped over the staff, bringing it in front of him, then blocked the pipe that came his way and spun into a spin back kick to the Raptorz member. The other members followed their fallen comrade in attacking the costumed person, but each attack was futile as each attack was either blocked, redirected, or parried. The "Dragon" took one Raptorz out with an elbow, took two down with a couple of punches, took out four with a series of combinations, and took out eight with his collapsible staff. In no time, there were only two Raptorz remaining, not to say that they weren't _really_ persistent, but they were.

"Never thought it'd come to this . . ." The lead female said, taking out a sort a . . . syringe?

"You know what they say about desperate time . . ." The last of the male Raptorz said, taking out the same type of odd-looking syringe. "And this freak is really starting to grate on my nerves!"

Without any hesitation, both Raptorz plunged the syringes into their arms and injected a strange red liquid-like substance into their bloodstream. As soon as all the liquid was drained, the syringes were dropped to the floor, and both Raptorz began to moan and spasm violently. It almost appeared that they were having some sort of seizure, stroke, or a heart attack, but all those choice were highly doubtful. After a few minuets, spasms stopped and the Raptors stood still with their heads lowered. They slowly began to stand up straight, then lift up their heads, and it becomes painfully obvious about the drastic changes to both Raptorz. They appeared to be more muscled and their eyes became an unnatural and sinister red. Those weren't the only things different about the two as they came at him at an alarming rate and it was very difficult with their attacks. Seriously, their speed had increased so much, that it was a miracle that he was able to keep up with them than before. Their efforts became worse as they both came at him and struck at him with two side kicks, which would have been excruciating if he hadn't blocked the attacks with his Bo staff. Though he wasn't harmed, the impact of the kicks forced him to fly backwards and crash into one of the columns; needless to say that it had really hurt. Thankfully he landed on his feet and saw that both of the "jacked-up" Raptorz smirked at him and cracked a few of their bones, obviously they felt more arrogant than they were earlier.

"Okay, since you guys like to "feel the rush", then it looks like I'll have to travel light on this traveling." The "Dragon" stated as he shortened his staff, placed it back on the back of his belt, the grabbed and took out two Kali Eskrima sticks from his back.

His attacks were faster and more agile since his weapons were lighter and allowed him to keep up with his opponents. It was then that he remembered there were civilians present and if something went wrong, they'd seriously get hurt. So, with much consideration, the "Dragon" used both of his Eskrima sticks to lock the arms of both the Raptorz and dragged them out through the front doors. Once outside, the "Dragon" was granted more area to battle the two "junkies" and look good doing it. He stared down

"Well, go a head, make my day . . ." The "Dragon" growled in another Dirty Harry voice as both Raptorz came at him.

Something was off about them, however, as "Dragon" noticed that the speed in their movements began to decrease, but that didn't mean they were letting up. They were still a handful and it still took everything he had to at least block them. It was then that he spotted an opening on the dude of the two and took advantage of it as he performed a series of strike, then finished him with a left jump-back kick. His attention returned to the female, whom of which he barely dodged a kick, but grunted as she kicked him the gut with her other leg. Ok, that did it; now she asked for it! "Dragon" slowly placed both his Ekrimas and the rest of his weapons on the ground, then got into a fighting place and did a little "Bruce Lee Dance". This didn't intimidate the last of the Raptorz as she sped towards him with killing intent in her eyes. She came at him with a punch, which he blocked, then shot his own fist to her chest. She staggered a bit, but shook it off and came at the "Dragon" again with a kick, which he blocked with his left foot, brought the leg back in, then shot it out as a left side kick. After falling to the ground, the female Raptorz's eyes began to (literally) glow in anger, then got up and tried once again to bring harm to the costumed punk. Her efforts proved fruitless as "Dragon" becoming serious made him more formidable and made his attacks more precise on each attack. He then grabbed her by the wrists, pulled her into a thrust kick with his right into her gut, pulled her by the biceps into a knee to the chest, then flipped her to the ground. The force of the flip nearly cracked the concrete under the Raptorz member and "Dragon" brought up a fist as if he were going to finish her with a punch, but seeing her already hurting, most likely poisoning from whatever they injected themselves with, he decided that she and her cohorts had enough. His eyes fell upon one of the bystanders, a male golden jackal in his late twenties with light-brown fur, short darker-brown hair, pointed muzzle, triangular pointed hears, and hazelnut-brown eyes that were wide in astonishment.

"Hey, you, got a cell?" "Dragon" asked as he gathered his weapons.

"Wha-y-yeah, I do." The jackal replied

"Call the police, I thing the Bank's security system's been compromised, haven't heard a single siren yet."

"Right, on it."

The jackal took out a flip-phone, then began to dial a number and waited until someone answered from the other line.

"Hello?"

"Terry, it's Woody." Woody, the jackal, said. "Sorry to bother you, but . . ."

As Woody made his call "Dragon" thought it was high time that he vamoosed, but before he did, his departure had caught the attention of Woody. The jackal after ending his call to his friend Terry, was very interested in who this person was and why he was just fighting a couple of Raptorz members. Maybe he was something that Empire City really needed now more than ever; a new guardian.

"Wait! Who are you?"

"Dragon" stopped only a few feet, then turned and said, "Call me . . . The Dragon!"

With all that said, "Dragon" ran into the street, then hopped atop of a moving bus. As he was on top of the bus, he heard something he never thought he ever would; the sound of applause. He turned around to see the people from the Bank swarm outside and cheer as he rode away. This was something that needed getting use to in the future as he never felt more well liked before in his life. He instinctively raised an arm and waved unaware that something was closing in on him from behind, but Woody did . . .

"Wait! Watch out for that . . !"

CRASH!

Everyone cringed at the sight as the "Dragon" was struck in the back of the head by the signal, then fall face-first with a heavy thud to the street below.

"Traffic signal . . ."

"I'm okay . . . that really didn't even hurt . . ." The "Dragon" called out, waving an arm in the air, though in his head . . . "_That_ _much . . ._"

* * *

The next day as Po drove his way to school, something caught his eye on one of the public bus stop benches where it appeared that someone was asleep as he was laying on his back. The person appeared to be wearing a white shirt with red short sleeves and a red leaf on the chest (like the Canadian national flag), dark-blue jeans that were held by a black leather belt, and black boots. Who the person was, remained unknown since his face was obscured by a newspaper that was on his face. It was obvious that he was asleep since he chest rose up and down . . . and he was snoring so loud that the panda thought it would wake up half of China if he were louder. Po's attention was caught by what he saw the headlines on the front page of the newspaper:

_New Dragon in Town: Friend or Foe?_

Unfortunately, the image was when he hit his head from the traffic signal. They used this image . . . Really? Couldn't they use the other images of him fighting some of the Raptorz? He nearly busted his hide to bring those dirty buttholes down and two of them even used some sort of "super steroid" to jack themselves up for Christ's sake! Why the hell couldn't they at least show some of those?! Couldn't they?! Right, now, where was he . . . . Oh right! Waking up the person sleeping on the bench before something "not good" comes his way.

"Uh, excuse me, sir?" Po asked, shaking the person until he made him stir.

"Wha-who's that? Where am I?"

The person sat up straight and caused the newspaper to fall off his face, revealing he was a rooster with brown feathers, neatly combed brown hair (despite sleeping on a bench), green eyes. The rooster looked around till he saw a young panda looking at him.

"Oh, hey there, good mornin'."

"Hey, didn't mean to disturb you, but sleeping on a public bench like that isn't allowed, just trying to keep you out of trouble."

"Well, thanks kid, guess I dozed off a bit." The rooster smiled sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head in embarrassment. "Suppose to meet a friend here."

"Okay, just be careful, someone might try to loot you."

"I will, thanks for the tip, eh."

Both smiled and waved goodbye as the panda drove down the street, then around the corner. As soon as the panda drove out of sight, a car drove in front of the rooster, then as it was gone, there was another person sitting beside the rooster. This person was some type of snake with red scales (tan under his muzzle, which was black and racer-like), long auburn hair in a ponytail, a two-pronged tail with bandages around it, and jade-green eyes. His clothing were that of one would usually in a spaghetti-Western flick since he wore a beige cotton shirt, brown leather vest, tattered brown pants, black poncho, black leather gloves, black boots with metal rims, and a black Old Western hat that nearly covered his entire face if he were to look at the ground. The rooster felt the presence of someone beside, but only smiled.

"Ulysses, how nice of you to show up." He mused without turning to look at the snake, whose name appeared to be Ulysses.

"Sorry I'm late, had some errands to take care of." Ulysses replied, adjusting his hat a bit.

"Still haven't heard from the kid?"

"Yep, hasn't called back since last night, he's never been out this long without telling us and it making me worried, Casey."

"Well, most likely those Skullz members are still having the crap beaten out of them, so we know he hasn't kicked the bucket, yet." Casey replied without any worry. "Like my grandpappy always told me: "No news is better than good, no news is worse than bad"."

"Guess you're right, but cross your fingers he hasn't already gotten himself killed or some thing." Ulysses said, when they suddenly heard the blare of police sirens.

"That's our que, time to get busy."

"You ready for this?"

"Age before beauty, Uly." Casey replied as they both walked towards the source of the sirens and the rooster took out what appeared to be . . . A goalie's hockey mask?

* * *

In the halls of Norris Van Damme High, students were in deep gossiping on a new topic everyone has been talking about since the previous day. This topic, of course was about the sudden appearance of a person calling himself the "Dragon". THough his appearance differed from the previous Dragon (in both costume and way he acted), he did everything the city's guardian did years prior: save lives and put the smack-down on the scum that came from the underground. The students, being teenagers (or younger in lower grades), thought it was pretty awesome that there was a new superhero in Empire City, while most of the adults (in and out of school) had mixed feelings of how to feel about this new "hero". Two of the students who liked the idea of the appearance of the new "hero" were two cheetahs, one male and the other female. The female cheetah appeared to be like any normal cheetah with yellow fur that had black spots, long messy blonde hair, and light black eyes (not like bruises, like eye coloring). She wore a white T-shirt with the logo of a heavy rock band, black vest, black jeans and black Vans. The other cheetah appeared to be more of a sleek panther than a cheetah since he had pitch black fur, short black hair, and crystal-blue eyes. He wore a plain red T-shirt, black short-pants, and white Vans.

"They better not be screwing with us about this, bro." The female cheetah growled, indicating they were siblings. "I mean, come on, how awesome would it be if superheroes appeared in this city?"

"Oh c'mon, Mindy, seems legit to me." The black cheetah replied to his sister, then accidentally bumped into another student. "Sorry 'bout that, wasn't looking where I was going."

The person the cheetah had bumped into appeared to be a Siamese cat with tan fur and black around her eyes, ears, hands, and possibly on her feet, long brown hair in a ponytail, and light-blue eyes. She wore a lavender sleeveless blouse, black skirt that reached her knees, and white high-heeled shoes.

"No problem, my fault." She replied, then walked to her locker, when suddenly two hands covered her eyes.

"Guess who, beautiful." A male voice flirtatiously whispered in the cat's right ear.

"Hm . . . could it be . . . Rush?"

"Could be . . ."

As the hands uncovered her eyes whirled around to see a very hand some German shepherd with dark-brown fur with black spots, short black hair, and green eyes. He wore a black muscle shirt, grey jeans that were held by a brown leather belt, and a pair of black boots. The Siamese cat squealed, threw her arms around the canine's neck, then gave him a big kiss on the lips, which he returned. It was obvious that the two were boyfriend and girlfriend, but couldn't they make out where no one could peep on them? Was that so much to ask for?

"Hey Pan, you here about yesterday?" Rush asked, looking into his girl's eyes.

"Where do I start?" Pan, the feline, replied with a giggle.

Down the hall, who should be walking to his locker, but a female hyena with brown fur that had black spots, long braided brown hair, and wearing a green T-shirt, blue jean shorts, and red Vans.

_Lia, Bruce is on the move, meet me by the diner_

_Simon_

"Oh, Simon." Lia, the female hyena, giggled taking what she needed, then walked to her first period.

Across from her, shying away in the crowd, was a female bat with light-brown fur as well as hair, and beautiful scarlet eyes. Her style of clothing would be considered Goth since she wore a completely black long-sleeved blouse, three earrings on her left ear, black fingerless glove on her right hand, a silver locket around her neck, black short-skirt, and black boots. She held an image of the "Dragon" and looked at it with much curiosity.

"I wonder if he's handsome underneath that mask . . ." She blushed a bit, then took a photo and kissed it. "Dylan, give me strength."

Though most of the students thought it was awesome, some of them thought it was all too good to be true, despite there being proof. These people were none other than Terri Hue, Calvin Kwan, Mel Tse, Vicky Luse, Markus Tang, and Mei Ling. Sure, this guy saved a lot of lives, but there was a lot no one knew about him. Going around calling him "Dragon" didn't make them feel anymore calm than they were. What if this guy were a guy with special effects training? It could have all been an elaborate plan to make him look like a hero, though it was more than unlikely since the Raptorz weren't the type to make up something like this. That didn't mean they trusted the suppose "hero".

"What do you guys think?" Calvin asked, though he knew what was on everyone's mind.

"He's a fake, what's there to think?" Mel asked rhetorically.

"Come on, maybe he's a good thing." Mei Ling suggested, trying to lighten the mood.

"Maybe, if we find out he's trustworthy." Vicky added.

"Hard to tell if we don't know what's under the mask." Markus remarked.

"Well, Master did say we were coming of age." Terri said with a devious smirk. "What's say we make our big début?"

* * *

Later that night, six guys dressed in all black and wearing ski masks snuck around until they found a few cars they could knock off. One of the thugs took out a camera as one of his comrades took out a crowbar. They all chuckled and cackled by the thought of what they were going to do, that they didn't notice approaching figures from one of the allies. The thug with the crowbar was so giddy that he could hardly wait and brought up his weapon, but before he could strike the car . . .

"Wouldn't do that if I were you."

The thugs whirled around to see five figures obscured by the darkness, making it hard to tell who or what they were. Their appearance didn't scare the thugs, far from it, it certainly creeped them out, but they didn't scare them. As long as it wasn't that costumed freak calling himself The "Dragon", it was perfectly fine. There were six of the thugs and only five of the figures; they were completely outnumbered and out gunned.

"Who're you all suppose to be?" The lead thug demanded.

"You don't need to know that!" The middle figure (don't anyone get any ideas) shot back, by the sound of the voice it could have been female.

"But there's one thing you need to know." The figure to her left, which was male, added.

"If you guys want a thrill, you should have tried bungee-jumping." The figure on the far right, who was a female, spoke up. "But for now, drop your weapons and camera and we promise we won't hurt you . . . much."

"And if we don't want to drop our stuff?" The thug with the camera challenged.

"Then we'll make you drop 'em." The figure to the middle's right, that was male, stated as he pointed at the thugs.

The thugs looked at one another, looked back towards the five figures, then burst out into hysteric laughter. Honestly, they were laughing at them? Were all the low lives in this city such immature ass-hats? That was it; these guys were going to get the beating of a lifetime. The five figures, mostly the one in the middle, were aching to do this for a good long time. Now was their ticket to give these dirtbags a walloping they'd soon never forget for as long as they lived!

"Hate to break this to you, but there are six of us and only five of you." The thug with the crowbar reminded smugly. "What you all got to say to that?"

"Just this: you're all going down like Jacques Cousteau!" The figure with the pole-like objected proclaimed as the five charged at the thugs.

"Wha- . . ?" The leader of the thugs started to ask, confused what the figure said, but was cut off when something struck the back off his head, then lost consciousness.

* * *

The very next day at Norris Van-Damme High, more news spread across the halls as everyone talked about the appearance of five new "heroes" catching six thugs from the previous night. Three of which were identical coyotes, all of which had the same brown fur and

"Five new heroes, huh?" The coyote in blue asked. "I find this very unlikely."

"Yeah, I can understand the news about the new Dragon, but this just seems all too good to be true." The coyote in red added.

"Come on, guys, it sound cool." The coyote in yellow tried to reason.

As the three canines conversed, a person walked passed them to his locker. This person was a teenage wolverine (not like Hugh Jackman) black and white fur, long braided black hair, and dark red eyes. He wore a black long-sleeved shirt, faded blue jeans that were held by a black belt, and brown Vans. He also had a copy of a newspaper article about the new "heroes" like anyone else. He marveled at the news of a new Dragon in the city, but didn't know how to feel about the appearance of these newcomers.

"That's interesting." The wolverine commented. "At least there more people out there to take care of the Nite Shadowz."

Another one person who thought ir doubtful that six new "heroes" were a certain panda and German shepherd and panda . . .

* * *

"I'm telling you, something about these guy just seem so . . . So . . ." Po tried to find the right words on how he felt about the new so-called "Furious Five", but couldn't think of them. "I don't know, they just seem a little . . . Off, somehow."

After finding out about the five new "heroes" at school, Po had rushed home to find out the Robert had a copy of the newspaper. Unfortunately, none of the papers had clear images of the five "heroes", so it was hard to tell what they look like. If these people were new heroes, why haven't they shown themselves yet? Were they camera-shy or just plain shadowy? The headlines on the paper certainly didn't make things any clear:

_New heroes in Empire City: True or False?_

"I'll say, but remaining in the shadows wasn't a bad idea though." Robert replied with a shrug. "Who they are, we'll just have to wait and see."

"Alright then, but now I have to tell you about something that happened during the bank heist." Po said when he realized that it had slipped his mind early. "Two of the Raptors had these weird-looking syringe."

"How weird?"

* * *

To Be Continued: Decisions Pt. 4: Facedown

* * *

**Yet again, there was a new chap, hope you liked. Congrats to Shen's General and AnthroLover on their ideas turned characters, keep up the good job, guys. Side note: if you're interested in checking out a fic from my good friend and fellow author monkeycyborgninja, it's called Dragon Warrior 2099, which (obviously) takes place in the future where a new person is chosen to be Dragon Warrior and carry on Po's legacy. To those who have computer problems, so did I, laptop had to be repaired so I'm now sharing my uncle's PC with him, until it's repaired. It sucks, it really does. Anyways, there's more Dragon to come your way, so don't worry, be happy _^^_! Till next time we meet. This is King of 2211, signing off.**

* * *

**By the way here's Po's bio:**

**Name: Dragon**

**Real Name: Po Ping**

**Age: 17**

**Date of Birth: August 28, 1987**

**Residence: Downtown, Empire City**

**Gender: Male**

**Description: **

**Black and white fur, green eyes, and short raven-black hair**

**Personality:**

** Playful, brave, altruistic, righteous, friendly, sociable, adventurous, comedic, determined, loyal, bit of a goofball, carefree, laid back, honorable, and hardworking.**

**Friends and Family: **

**Fa Wai (Fred Wilson) Ping (father deceased)**

** Yu Ping (mother deceased)**

** Robert Glover (foster/adopted father/mentor)**

** Amber Longriver-Glover (foster/adopted mother)**

** Jeff Speakman (best friend)**

** Larry Windsor (friend)**

**Cynthia Takeda (friend**

** Master Dakila Bayani (Mentor)**

**Terri Hue (current enemy/soon-to-be friend)**

**Calvin Kwan (soon-to-be friend)**

**Mel Tse (soon-to-be friend)**

**Vicky Luse (former friend, soon-to-be friends later on)**

**Markus Tang (friend in secret)**

**Jack Shifu (soon-to-be friend)**

**and many more.**

**Hobbies: **

**Practicing martial arts, cooking, baking, Parkour, playing video games, watching movies and TV series', and spending time with his friends and family.**

**Likes: **

**His friends and family, food, video games, helping people, knowing that he's protecting innocent people, heroes, seeing people happy, food, Bruce Lee related media, and action and comedy media.**

**Dislikes: **

**Tai Lung, Terri Hue (at first), the "Furious Five" (at first), Shifu (at first), self-righteous people, Silver Phantom (for being full of himself), villains, cruelty, injustice, bullies, bad movies with horrible comedy and action, bad food, seeing sad people, and remembering how his parents died.**

**Biography:**

** Po was born and raised in Empire City by Fa Wai, who later changed his name to Fred Wilson due to unknown circumstance, and Yu Ping. He grew up happily with his parents and always loved it whenever his "Uncle" Robert and "Aunt" Amber would visit since they would teach him Jeet Kune Do and other types of martial arts. Another thing that was well-known about Po, was that he was one of the biggest fans of one of Empire City's greatest superheroes, and it's guardian; The Dragon. Growing up was tough since he was made fun of, teased, or bullied, what with him being a little overweight and all. That all came to an end one day when he bumped into a young German shepherd named Jeff, and instantly, they became friends when they found out they had some thing in common. Po later found out that Jeff was the son of the Police Commissioner of Empire City, Seth Speakman, another one of Empire City's defenders (in law enforcement that is), which mad Po feel a little out-of-place. None the less, they remained friends and soon befriended a young squirrel girl named Cynthia, a marten boy named Markus, and a snake girl named Vicky. Vicky, however, happened to be best friends with a tiger girl named Terri Hue, the adopted daughter of Shifu, who was one of the few strict martial arts instructors in the city. The young feline was also one of the many kids who made fun of him, but it was her foster-brother, Tai Lung, that had done the more physical approach. This made Vicky so angry that she started to ignore Terri, much to the tiger's sadness. Month's later, Po would witness one of the most tragic moments in his life. One day, while he was visiting his father at the hospital where he worked, he saw him Arguing with Shifu about something, which came to a halt as soon as they noticed he was present. The panda got to spend a little time with his parents and their friend, Larson Heller, before they got to leave early for the day. Fred, however, was told that he had a call waiting and told Yu and Po to wait outside for him. As they waited, Yu felt something was off as she told Po to stay put as she went to find Fred. Po, not wanting to be alone, wandered into the hospital to search for his parents, unaware that something in the back of his head told him to run. Minuets later, and explosion went off, which totaled much of the hospital and injured many inside. Po awoken in an ambulance outside, only to discover that his parents and Larson had died within the explosion. This devastated the panda cub, then remembered that he saw Shifu leaving as soon as Po reentered the hospital. This enraged him so much, that Po blamed Shifu for indirectly "murdering" his parents and made it his prime goal to avoid any contact with him at all time. Without any known relatives, the panda was taken in by Robert and Amber, who raised him as if he were their real son. Things would get worse for Po one night when he was spending the night at Jeff's house. He was getting a snack for both him and Jeff to share when he saw Mrs. Speakman watching the news, looking completely shocked. Confused, he walked closer to see what had upset her. Unfortunately, he saw what. It was news about the Dragon sacrificing his life against an unknown terrorist organization. Things got worse many months later as he was confronted by Tai lung, who had beated on him until he was a bloody mess. The one thing Po noticed was that Terri was present, leading him to hope that she would come to help him. she didn't, however, and watched as her foster-brother walked away without caring. She did the same. It was fortunate for Po that Cynthia had found him just in time. When asked what had happened, he confirmed it was Tai Lung. This made Po hate both snow leopard and tiger as much as he did their foster-father. Days later, he saw both Terri and Vicky were sitting in the park laughing at something, which the panda thought was about how Tai Lung had beat him up. This made Po became so angry that he decided then and there that he and Vicky were friends no more, then promptly began to ignore her. One day Robert and Amber revealed to him that they decided to take his training to the next level, which meant they had to leave for a while. Nine years later as he returned would be the same time he found out a little secret about his legal guardian . . .**

**Costume Description: **

**Silver bodysuit with red crack-like marking all over the body and legs that lead into the inside and tips of the fingers on the gloves, red boots, gold Chinese dragon on the chest, Chinese character for dragon on the back, a silver mask with a golden dragon head-like design in the front and red one-way lenses with gold linings.**

**Powers and Abilities: **

**Eternal Ember enables enchanted senses, strength, speed, agility, acrobatics,, and pyrokenesis: ****Flame Bullets, flame manipulation, heat manipulation, heat and fire resistant, Dragon Vision, and Dragon Breath.**

**Weapons and Equipment:**

** Belt with essentials, communications device in the mask, nunchucks, Kali Eskrima sticks, collapsible Bo staff, hidden rope-dart, and motorcycle.**

**Skills: **

**martial arts (such as Jeet Kune do, Wing Chun, Dragon-style, Tai chi, ect.), Parkour, cooking, driving, break dancing.**

**Affiliation: Good**


	9. Decisions Pt 4: Face Down

**The King has returned, and I'm not talking about Simba in the Lion King, folks! it's been almost two weeks, I know, but I'm only human. For that, I deeply apologize. To those who like the 09 Star Trek movie, I'll guarantee you like Star Trek Into Darkness, it has Leonard Nimoy and Peter Weller. On to the story! DreamWorks owns the KFP franchise, I do not. Hope people like, I practically cracked my fingers working on this; enjoy, please. The show must go on!**

* * *

Chapter 8: Decisions Pt. 4: Face Down

* * *

The next day went without any hassle as Dragon made his routine as he leapt from building to building and surveyed his surroundings. So far, he had been lucky as he had yet to slip up or do anything that might get himself hurt . . . yet. There wasn't anything that involved using his powers or pummeling any butthole into the dirt, though he wished some would. He was thankful as he only had about twenty minuets to kill; being late wasn't an option in his mind. As he made his run, he caught the attention of a few people who were on the ground and stared at him in awe. One of which was a young Inu that appeared to be in his mid-twenties and just fresh out of college. He appeared to have an average build with white fur, short pointed ears, nearly pointed muzzle, short white hair, and brown eyes. He wore a yellow T-shirt with black short sleeves, a pair of black cargo pants with a Union Jack symbol on the right leg, a red sling bag that was slung over his left shoulder, and a pair of tabi boot (**AN: Sound familiar?**). He looked up in disbelief as he saw the person calling himself "Dragon" leap over some buildings and would have continue gawking . . .

"Hey, Zack!"

The canine, or Zack as he was called, snapped out of his trance and whirled around to see who had called out to him. Running out of a nearby clothing store was a young female poodle, who appeared to be his age. She had a nice womanly figure with white fur, short ears, small muzzle, long white hair, and brown eyes. She wore a green blouse, matching green skirt, black high-heels, gold earrings, and a grey purse around her right shoulder. This person was of great interest to the Japanese canine, but as he turned around, he saw that the Dragon was already long gone.

"Hey, you alright, Zack?" The poodle asked in concern.

"Y-yeah, I'll be fine." Zack, the Inu, replied, though he was still intrigued by what he saw.

There were two more citizen's that saw that the apparently new "hero" jumping from building to building. One was a lioness that appeared to be in her early thirties with nice curvy features with white fur, long feline tail, rounded ears, pink flat nose, long brown hair in a ponytail, and dark-brown eyes. The other person appeared to be a male red-tailed hawk in his mid-twenties with grayish-brown feathers, long wavy ebony-black hair with white highlights that was spiked on the top and was tied into a ponytail, three head feathers in a row on the back of his neck, a bronze beak with a black tip that also had a crack on the left, and crimson-red eyes. He wore a red long-sleeved shirt, a black vest over, white gloves that were red on the palms, black jeans, and black boots. They both just stood there in silence, but didn't seem too bothered from seeing someone leaping on and off of buildings that were a fatal height from the ground.

"That was . . . interesting." The lioness commented.

"I'll say." The hawk calmly agreed.

The hawk eyed the lioness up and down, but before he could say anything to her . . .

"Hey, Simone, let's get going!" A voice called from afar.

"Coming, Artie!" The lioness, Simone, called back, then rushed to catch up with whoever called her.

"Awe well, there's still a lot booty around this city anyway." The hawk shrugged off, then crossed the street when the light turned green. What he didn't see was that a Siamese cat in his late-twenties was checking the avian out as the he did with the lioness. The feline was obviously male with a nicely toned build that had grey fur with black on his face and hands, pointed ears, pink flat nose, short black hair, and blue eyes. He wore a light green T-shirt, bright-blue shorts, and brown sandals. He snapped out of his trace when he realized the light turned green, then rushed across the street.

* * *

Lunchtime had just started at Norris Van-Damme High School as students wandered inside and outside to find someplace to eat their lunch. A few of which were (separately) a young wolf, stallion, and weasel going about their business as they walked to separate parts of the cafeteria with a copy of the local newspaper. The wolf was about seven feet tall and six inches with an average build that had blonde fur, pointed ears and muzzle, short blonde hair, and brown eyes. He wore blue long-sleeved shirt, matching blue jeans that were held by a brown leather belt, and a pair of black Vans.

"Guess we can cross "City of Boredom" off the list." The wolf joked, then went about to enjoy his lunch.

The stallion was about seven feet tall with a very attractive physique that had wood-colored fur, pointed ears, average equine muzzle, black hair and tail, and brown eyes. He wore a black T-shirt with a logo of a band on the front, a chain that went into the back pocket of his grey jean shorts, and a pair of green low-tops.

"Awesome." Was the equine's response.

Finally, the weasel was female with a slender build (that was common among Mustelidae) that had light-brown fur, slightly pointed ears, long brown hair, and Amber-yellow eyes. She

"Finally, someone's doing something about the gangs at least." She commented as she sat down at a table.

Most students around each had their own copy of the local newspaper, though the news rarely interested most people, the headlines on the front page made it worth reading:

_New Heroes in Empire City: True or False?_

As it would have it, two more students had a single copy of the article. These two were a male buffalo and a female snow leopard. The buffalo was tall with a muscular build that had black fur, short black hair, short ivory horns, and dark-brown eyes. He wore a red sleeveless shirt that showed much of his well muscled arms, a white wristband on his right wrist, faded blue Levi jeans, and white sport shoes. The snow leopard had a very attractive figure that had grey fur with black spots, nearly rounded ears with two silver earrings on the left ear and three gold ones on the right, short light-grey hair, and icy-blue eyes. She wore a black sleeveless blouse, blue short jean-skirt, and black low-heeled shoes. They both never liked the thing that was on the newspaper, but the recent news about heroes reappearing in Empire City had quipped them enough to keep up with the crime-fighting.

"Well, at least they're helping out." The feline commented with a smile.

"Yeah, I hope they really stick it to the other gangs." The buffalo added with a smirk.

On their way to their table outside were none other than Po, Larry, Cynthia and Jeff, but they had hit a little snag; Larry had accidentally bumped into someone. Before the ferret could utter and apology, he looked into the furious eyes of Terri Hue! She wore a red short-sleeve T-shirt with the name of a very popular band on the chest, black leather vest, black fingerless gloves, black jeans with a chain on the right pocket, and black boots. She glared daggers at the young ferret, who was petrified by the very presence. It was widely known around school that she had a very fiery temper (she could never measure up to how dangerous Amber could get, but still) and she was feared by most of the students, with the exception of others like Jeff and Cynthia. It was likely that it was the strict teachings of Shifu that made her seem mean, but she wasn't completely heartless as she was generous most of the time, though her explosive temper didn't help in the least. It still didn't help when she was with her friends either.

"Watch where you're going Windsor, or I'll . . ." The tiger started, but stopped by the sight of a certain German shepherd.

"Or you'll, what, Ms. Hue?" Jeff asked in a cold tone that sent chills down the tiger's spine.

"Just letting you know, we don't like it when people threaten our friends." Cynthia added sternly.

"W-well, I-I-I . . . h-he . . . hold on, since when did you two and Windsor . . ."

"We can make any friend we want, is there a problem with that?"

What Terri didn't know was that the German shepherd and squirrel were actually stalling her while Po snuck away, as well as defending Larry from her wrath. The panda was highly temped to (in both ways) "sock it" to the tiger, but he managed to hold it in. He was glad that Jeff was one of many that were able to stand up to her and not get hurt while doing so; now there was a soldier that deserved a Medal of Honor. As he began to walk away, he had also accidentally bumped into someone. He turned to apologize, but froze at the sight of the person. It was, out of all the students present, was Vicky Luse! She wore a blue blouse, a white unzipped jacket, blue jeans, and black slip-on shoes, How could this have happened? He was careful, calculative, and sneaky! How could he have bumped into her after a week of making sure they were at a decent (in his head) distance away from each other? Was fate angry at him for some reason? Did he do something in a past life to deserve such a fate?

"Oh, sorry about that-" She apologized, but noticed that he seemed very familiar to her.

"Sorry about that, clumsy me, see ya!" Po quickly said, then began to rush away . . .

"Po?"

"_Well shit._"

He fought back the urge to either scowl or scream in frustration; if not both. Well, there was no point in trying to pretend that she was mistaken and that he was someone else. She was way too smart to fall for something like that and he knew it. So, he could only take a few deep breaths, then put on a fake smile, then face her.

"Vicky, hey, how's it going?" Po asked in fake curiosity. "Wow, look how much you've grown!"

"Thanks, it's good to see you too." Vicky said, giving the panda a hug.

This made everyone around stare as one of the most popular kids in school hugged a random guy. Most of the staring eyes came from the guys, obviously jealous of what they say, which made Po (hesitantly) return the hug and give a smug smirk. Yeah, he felt it best that they shouldn't be friends, but he remembered that some of the guys use to bully him when he was little and this was something that would never happen to them in a million years (if ever). It was also at this time that a certain four that were Calvin, Mei Ling, Mel, and Markus had arrive in time to see their friend in the arms of a certain panda that they began to recognize . . .

"Po . . ." Another voice uttered, which was Terri.

This made the panda look at the tiger emotionlessly, not trying with all his might scowl at her. There was much animosity in the air as everyone remembered that the tiger wasn't the panda's most liked person around. The marten, sensing the negative emotions from the panda, decided that he should intervene.

"Po, hey man, when you get back?" Markus asked, trying to sound surprise, but failed.

"You already knew he was here, didn't you?" Vicky asked, not amused by her step-cousins sudden behavior.

"W-well . . . I . . . I-I may have . . . kinda . . . yes I did."

"Don't get on his case, please, he didn't know how to explain it." Po defended, which earned him a look of gratitude in Markus's eyes.

"Wait, this is Po Ping?" Mel butted in, making an ass of himself as usual. "Wow, you have changed, what's the matter, felt too good to be fat?"

He began to laugh at his own joke, with a few others following in suit. Angry at what the simian said, Jeff was about to say something, but was stopped by Po, who winked. Mell made fun of him when they were little and always got away from it. Now was the time for payback for everything hurtful word that came from the fart-knocker's mouth.

"Well, I must say, I'm just as equally impressed of how much you've changed." Po said, which confused everyone. "Don't tell me, you got that big red nose surgically removed, didn't you?"

"Big red nose?"

"Sure, lots of clowns have them."

"Po, that's rude." Jeff said in a fake stern voice.

"Yes, thank you, Jeff." Mel said, unaware that the German shepherd didn't mean a word of what he said.

"Yeah, besides, calling Mel a clown would insult ever clown on Earth." Cynthia stated, which gained her a lot of laughs.

"If not, the entire universe." Larry quipped, gaining more laughs, even from Mel's friends.

"Oh, snap!" Jeff hollered.

"Oh no, he did not!" Cynthia cackled, holding her sides.

"Burn!" Po called out, the high-fived the ferret.

"Oh, ha, ha, ha, laugh it up." Mel said sarcastically.

"Well, that was a good one." Mei Long giggled, but regained her composure. "So, would you guys like to sit with us?"

"Oh, we couldn't do that." Po said, signaling to his friends to be on their way. "We already have a table outside and it's such a beautiful day . . ."

"We insist." Vicky urged, grabbing the panda by the arm.

"What about . . . you-know-who?" Larry asked in a quivering voice.

"Don't worry about Tai Lung, he had to help our master with something." Calvin assured, not going into full detail of what their master was doing.

Po looked towards his friends and gave them a shrug; it was pointless to talk their way out of what the snake wanted. No one could really say no to her. It could be because she was hot, or was bossy, or was persistent, or hard to say "no" to her. No, it was all the above. So, they all sat at the same table to eat their lunch, though Po stayed near his friends and away from Terri as possible. They all sat there in awkward silence, not knowing what to say, it certainly wasn't helping that everyone around kept glancing at them, even if they tried to hide it. Not being able to take the silence any longer, Larry decided to break the ice and start-up a conversation.

"Hey, you guys hear about the new Dragon?" The ferret finally asked.

"You mean that masked idiot running rampant around the city lately?" Markus asked with disdain in his voice, which caught the panda's attention.

"Hold on, don't you guys think he's kind of a good thing?" Cynthia asked, not liking the marten's tone.

"A nutjob who runs around randomly beating people up?" Mel asked with sarcasm. "Uh, no."

"Where are the police when you need them these days?" Calvin asked, but shrunk when he saw Jeff scowl. "No offense, Jeff."

"Plus, he wears a _mask_." Vicky added with distaste. "So tacky."

"Even if his heart is in the right place, he should know better." Mei Ling (hesitantly) added, though deep down, she knew a very interesting secret.

"If you ask me, the five other heroes should be turning him in." Terri added with her arms crossed.

"You know what?" Markus spoke up. "I bet this guy is another thug, right, trying to get rid of the competition!"

SLAM!

Everyone jumped as soon as they heard something crash right onto the lunch table. They looked to see that it came from Po as his hand was on this tray. The panda, after hearing what was said, became increasingly upset by the topic that he had almost crushed his fork into dust, luckily no one had seen him do so. So, they liked the other "heroes", huh? What made them so special that the were being praised by these guys? Well, if they liked them, so much, then maybe they'd like to have lunch with them instead!

"Lost my appetite." Po said as he stood to leave, but stopped and looked back at the table. "Oh yeah, here's a tip: next time you guys feel unsatisfied that someone's trying to help, TELL IT TO THEIR FACE!"

With that said and done, the panda threw away his lunch, the proceeded to storm out of the lunchroom.

"Smooth, Markus, very smooth." Jeff remarked sarcastically, then rushed to catch up with his best friend. "Po, wait up!"

"Honestly, you guys?" Cynthia demanded, then followed after Jeff.

Larry said nothing as he got up, then walked after his friends, but stopped a good distance away. He turned around and pointed at the table, but only glared, then whirled around to catch up with his friends. The six just sat there in confused silence and could only watch as the four left the cafeteria. What just happened?

"Was it something we said?" Mel asked, which gained many shrugs.

As Po stormed out of the lunchroom, he caught the attention of a female mountain cat, unlike Mei Ling. She had a very lovely hourglass-figure that had cream-colored fur with orange stripes on her arms and markings on her face, pointed ears, black flat nose, long orange hair, and Amber-yellow eyes. She wore a red long-sleeved sweater, blue jeans skirt, and black slip-on shoes. It was safe to say, any guy would fight to the death to get a date from her. She abruptly stopped as soon as Po stormed passed her, which made her turn and stared at his departing figure.

"Po . . ?" The feline asked, feeling an odd warm sensation in her heart.

* * *

It was nearly 7:00 as Po, now in his Dragon guise, was perched atop a short building and overlooking the streets to see if there was anything worth jumping at. Though he was mostly focused on his work, his mind kept on going back to lunchtime at Norris Van-Damme. What would they know about who is or isn't a good thing? They were popular kids, they wouldn't know good if it came up in their face and kicked them in the nuts! They didn't know who he was and they had no right to judge him as thus; he did what he thought was right. So, there!

"'Thug trying to take out the competition', who asked them anyway?" Dragon grumbled, them spotted something in an ally and leaped to the building to see what was going on.

As he reached the building, he saw that there were four figures exiting from . . . the computer archives building that was owned by Wellington International? Upon closer speculation, Dragon saw that they were an owl, an opossum, an aye-aye, and a bat. The owl was chubby with reddish-brown feathers, short white beak, short auburn hair, and red eyes. The opossum was slender with grey and black fur, short ears that had red earrings on both, pointed nose, short brown hair, and black eyes. The aye-aye had completely clack fur, long bony fingers (which were one of his distinct features), shaved black hair, a tattoo that said "Nocturn" on his forehead, and large red eyes (which was the second of his distinct features). The bat, who had seemed to be the leader, had a nice strong build with pitch-black fur, large pointed ears that had gold earring on them, a nicely trimmed mustache and soul-patch that connected into a goatee, long shoulder-plate length brown hair that was tied back in a ponytail, and crimson red eyes. The opossum, aye-aye, and owl wore blank white T-shirts, brown leather jackets, black jean pants, gray fingerless gloves, and combat boots.

The bat, however, wore a dark-blue T-shirt, a more stylish black leather jacket, dark-navy-blue jeans, darker black fingerless gloves, and more edgy looking combat boots. What Dragon noticed from each of them was that there was a logo that looked like a bat's head on the back of their leather jackets. This could mean only one thing: these guys were members of the Nite Shadowz gang. They were one of the "Four Gangs of Empire City" and, though they weren't number one in smarts, were very organized (well, the high ups are). The name said it all, the gang was mostly made up off nocturnals, most of them being bats (ironically). They mostly made their mark (if it wasn't obvious enough) late at night when there were very few people around, even the police. Thinking no one had spotted them, the bat took out a steel box and opened it to see . . . a little USB drive?

"That's it?" The aye-aye demanded as one of his large eyes twitched. "That's the thing we were suppose to bag?"

"Unbe-freakin-lievable!" The owl yelled in frustration.

"The hell is that thing anyway?" The opossum questioned, crossing his arms.

"Look, it doesn't' matter, the guy said he's pay us, right?" The bat asked his colleagues, which gained him a few nods. "Good, then shut up, stop you're complaining, and let's get out of here before someone sees us."

"You mean, like me?"

The four whirled around to see Dragon slowly approaching from the entrance of the alleyway. Where did he come from? The nighttime was their domain! How was it that he had managed to sneak up without their knowing?

"Look, things don't have to get ugly, just handover the flashdrive and I promise not to bag you guys up." Dragon said, cracking bones all over into place. "Well, not much, anyway."

"We could . . . or . . ." The bat replied, reaching his hand to his back pocket.

"Or . . . what?"

"This!"

Without any warning, the bat threw something to the ground, which caused it to go up in smoke. They had smoke bombs? Seriously? Where the hell were these scumwads getting these things? Dragon's thought's were snapped back into reality when he heard the sounds of the Nite Shadowz members fleeing in the opposite direction.

"See ya, freak!" The opossum yelled faintly, which was fading.

Dragon, however; wasn't deterred in the least, in fact, they just made things a lot more interesting. Focusing his chi-energy, Dragon looked through the smoke and began to process where they were heading. It didn't take long as he located the sounds of their running feet.

"Got ya." Dragon smirked under his mask, then ran after them

* * *

Somewhere deep in the alley, the NS members stopped to catch their breath and looked around to see that there was no one had followed them.

"Whew, slick move, lost him . . ." The opossum wheezed out.

"Yeah, even if the thing's small, Mr. X would have been pissed." The aye-aye added, holding up the flashdrive.

"Well, at least we're alone, for now." The owl stated with the utmost confidence.

"Oh, I wouldn't be too sure 'bout that . . ."

This made the four jump upright on their feet.

"Who's there?!" The bat shouted, looking for any sign, then heard two screams and saw that both the owl and opossum both vanished.

"Where'd they go man?!" The aye-aye whimpered.

"I-I-I don't know . . ."

CRASH!

Both NS members nearly jumped out of their socks when they heard that loud crash and turned to see a horrifying sight. There, tied up next to a dumpster, were the opossum and owl. They both had appeared to have been beaten on as they were both bleeding on certain parts of their bodies and were heavily bruised. Almost as if someone had used them as a pair of pinata. What really caught their attention was that they both had Phoenix-like markings branded into their chests.

"Oh god . . . it's him . . ." The bat gasped in absolute terror.

"Who?" The aye-aye questioned.

"The . . . D-devil's Trigger . . ."

"You're kidding me . . . I that creep was a myth!"

"Oh no, I'm all too real . . . but when I'm through with you, you're going to with I was only just a fairy tale."

The aye-aye cried out in pain as he felt a sharp pain against his arm, causing him to drop the metal box. He looked at his arm to see that there was a shred through his jacket, shirt, and had left a bleeding cut in its place. It was then that they saw that the box was now hanging on an arrow, most likely the one that saw past the aye-aye, on the far brick wall. This made both of the NS members take out two Desert Eagle pistols and point around the alley quickly, but shakily.

"SHOW YOURSELF, FIGHT US LIKE A MAN!" The aye-aye shouted, which echoed around the alley.

"Fight you like a man? That's a good one coming from you. The both of you have guns, that makes you cowards. So, you shouldn't be calling yourselves men."

"WHERE ARE YOU?!" The bat demanded, now under a panic attack.

"Here . . ."

Both NS whirled around to see a shadowy figure, then screamed out and shot at the figure as it shot forward to them. As Dragon approached where the running stopped, he heard the sounds of screaming and gunshots, then darted to find where it came from. He arrived in time . . . to see a very gruesome sight. Each of the Nite Shadowz were badly beaten up, the aye-aye having his arm bending the wrong way, and each had a phoenix-like marking branded on their chests. What really caught Dragon's attention was the one figure that didn't appeared to be hurt . . . and he held the box with the flashdrive!

"Hey, you!" Dragon shouted to the figure.

The figure turned towards Dragon, then stepped into the light, allowing anyone to see him clearly. He was very intimidating, being seven feet tall and whatnot, but it was the suit that really got to Dragon. He wore a black trench coat with a leather vest over it that had a red dragon design on the front right of the chest and red phoenix design on the back, talon-like gloves with sharp-looking silver nails (almost like the glove worn by Vincent Valentine from Final Fantasy), black cargo pants, black combat boots with metal rims, and a mask with pointed sides with a black one way lens covering his right eye and only left his left eye and beak (obviously he was avian) bare. What Dragon noticed about this person was that there was a crack on the left side of his beak, the eye that was bare was an odd silver color, and there was an armband around his right arm that had an odd eye-like insignia on it. Dragon stared at the armband as images started to flash in his mind; he saw this insignia once before, but where?

"Well, well, who do we have here?" The avian asked in a cocky tone.

"What, didn't you, I'm the nighttime cleaning." Dragon jokingly bowed. "And you would be?"

"Well, I go by many names in this city. There are some that call me a vigilante, others call me a serial killer (though I've yet to do so), a few even call me Death . . . but I am always known forever as . . . The Devil's Trigger . . . "

With his introduction said, he took a bow.

"Hold up, _the_ Devil's Trigger?" Dragon asked out surprise. "The guy that the criminal underworld fears and massacred at least 667 Skullz members during their last hostile takeover attempt?"

"Hey, I wouldn't go that far." DT protested as if he were offended.

"That's a relief."

"It was more like 666, I should know, I made a list."

"Ah ha, yeah, that's _so_ much better." Dragon snorted with sarcasm. "Anyway, what do you want?"

"Oh, nothing much, I was just cruising along, when I happened to see these three running away from you with a smoke bomb." DT replied lazily. "Seeing how they were coming my way, I felt that I needed a little 'exercise'."

"This . . . was you?"

"Indeed, it was; couldn't help but notice they had this."

He then held up the box that held the flashdrive.

"Hey, that's property of Wellington International, give it up!"

"Sorry, kid, but since I got these guys first, this is my prize. See ya!"

In a flash, he vanished into thin air, but that didn't stop Dragon in the least. He focused on the area around him to sense wherever Devil's Trigger went. As soon as he got a lock on his location, Dragon leaped up onto one of the buildings and found that DT was on an apartment complex.

"Going somewhere, bub?"

"Wow, aren't we dedicated?" DT asked in a bemused tone.

"I sure am, now hand over the box or . . ." Dragon tried to say, but . . .

"Look kid, you may where the same colors, you may carry the same weapons, you may even take up the same name, but you're nowhere near being as much a hero as the real Dragon. Here's a tip: go home and hang up that Halloween costume; you'll live to see more years."

"Hey, I got a better idea: how about the both of you hand over the box?"

They both turned (Dragon to his left and DT to his right) to see five new figures, two females and three males, on the opposite side of the roof. They all appeared in different colored and designed versions of the same costume. The person in the middle's (who was female) suit was red with a gold tiger symbol on the chest, red fingerless gloves, and a Chinese character for "tiger" on the back. The person to her left, who appeared to be avian, wore an all white suit with a gold crane symbol on the chest and a Chinese character for "crane" on the back. The person to the figure in the middle's right wore a brown suit with a gold monkey symbol on the chest and a Chinese character for "monkey" on the back. The figure next to the avian, who was the second female, wore a light-green suit with a gold snake symbol on the chest and a Chinese character for "snake" on the back. Finally, the last figure, who was on the far right, wore a dark green suit with a gold mantis symbol on the chest and a Chinese character for "mantis" on the back. The only thing that all of their suits had in common were that they each had yellow wristbands, yellow sashes around their waists, yellow boots, and yellow bandanna masks. They just stood there, looking at the two before them, as is waiting for something to happen.

_Now what?_ Both Dragon and Devil's Trigger though in confusion.

* * *

The End of Decisions

* * *

To Be Continued: Changes Pt. 1: Free For All

* * *

**Just like that, chap 8 is a done deal! Congratulations to AnthroLover, and Grizzle Lee (Though you character debuted in the previous chap) on the cameos of your awesome characters. A special thanks, however; goes to Shen's General as his character has made a full time appearance in and out of costume. You should be proud of yourself, man! Also, the bios of the Furious Five are right before the next chap, so stay tuned. Also, again, I am sorry for being long story. Sorry for cutting this short, but I promise the action is on its way. Before the next chap is us, the bios will be, then the action STARTS! Till then, this is King of 2211, signing off.**

* * *

**Behold Trigger's bio:**

**Name: Devil's Trigger (Trigger or DT for short)**

**Real Name: Masamune "Mass" Avia**

**Species: Red-tailed hawk**

**Age: 24**

**Date of Birth: January 24, 1980**

**Residence: 13 Boulevard, Empire City**

**Gender: Male**

**Description:**

**Six feet tall with grayish-brown feathers, long flowing ebony-black hair with white highlights, golden beak with black at the tip, crack at the left side of his beak, slender yet strong build, heterochromia eyes (one is red and the other is silver, white spotted chest and underside, a tattoo that says "Valkyrie" on his neck, and three head feathers in a row running down his neck,.**

**Personality:**

**Cocky, sadistic, cold, fearless, playful (in a sinister way), very intelligent, calculative, fierce, little respect for authority, and questionable sense of right and wrong.**

**Friends and Family:**

**Nobunaga Avia (father, deceased)**

**Oichi Avia (mother, deceased)**

**Nene Avia (sister, deceased)**

**Noh Avia (sister, deceased)**

**Hideyoshi "Yoshi" Avia (brother, deceased)**

**Cross Rowe (Golden Eagle, master, deceased)**

**Raine Freeya (Fox, friends with benefits/crush)**

**Casey Joe (rooster, partner/friend)**

**Ulysses "Nagahide" Rourke (snake, rival/friend/partner)**

**Gary Shen (best friend/employer)**

**Walton McBride (fellow employer)**

**Supreme Phoenix (team/friends, deceased)**

**Hobbies:**

**Hunting, test piloting, sex (oh yeah, he's a playa!), drinking, and urban exploration.**

**Likes:**

**Women, Raine, justice, respect, his family, his friends/partners, alcohol, his job, and the agony of his victims.**

**Dislikes:**

**Cowards, those who disrespect him or his family/friends, being bossed around, those who question his abilities, 'high and mighty' people who think they could get away with anything, being cheated, and the gangs of Empire City (mostly the Skullz).**

**Biography:**

**Masamune was a member of the royal Avia Family, who owned a weapon-manufacturing business in Japan, though they relocated to uncharted group of islands off the coast of Hawaii. However; war and disease broke out among the inhabitants, thus Masamune's parents were killed during the onslaught, while he and his siblings were able to escape to Empire City and were forced to live on the street. When he turned 11, he and his siblings were ambushed by members of the Skullz, as both of his sisters were raped and his brother was badly beaten, then were killed right in front of his eyes. He would have been killed as well, when a golden eagle named Cross intervened and saved him. Masamune became depressed that he had lost all of his family and was alone, but was taken up by Cross, who felt sympathy for the young boy. Masamune was immediately enlisted in Cross's mercenary team known as the Supreme Phoenix as an errand boy at first, but Cross, seeing much potential and a fair amount of self-defense training under his belt, began to train him . . . and seven years later, Masamune became a powerful mercenary trained and skilled in both close and long-ranged combat. In that time, he would meet and become friends with benefits with a female vixen, who was a dancer and performer (they stayed friends and nothing more . . . well, nothing more, yet). As time went by, Masamune also befriended two more interesting characters: a sorta immortal snake from the Old West named Ulysses and a very goofy Canadian rooster named Casey, who was also the nephew of Cross. One night while walking home, he saved a young crane named Calvin Kwan from members of the Skullz, who were the very same members that had killed his siblings. He got his vengeance by beaten each of them to a bloody pulped, but before he could finish the last of the members, who begged to be let go and, upon recognizing who he was, revealed he was paid to kill them. When the name of the person was demanded, the Skullz member fearfully replied that the person went by the name of the "Apex Predator", but was shot and killed with an arrow by an unknown assailant. Masamune and Calvin become friends there after, but a year later Calvin met Mei Ling and became one of Shifu's students, which led the hawk to refuse to be a third wheel in Calvin's way and leaves him alone. One night, he arrives to stop a heist at the Empire City Museum of Natural History . . . but the fight between him and the two robbers got so heated up, that his face collided with a pedestal, which held a rare artifact known as the "Devil's Eye". His left eye then became infused with it, turning his eye completely silver, thus he received two awesome powers. After making sure the robbers were out of commission, he made his way back home, only to find that the Supreme Phoenix base was attacked and everyone was killed, including strange military men in armor he didn't recognized . . . except for Cross, who had been fatally wounded. Cross made him swear to kill the bastards who did this with his dying breath and that he loved Masamune like the son he wished he had. Over the next six years, he trained nonstop in both combat and his powers, then dons the title of his alter ego, The "Devil's Trigger". He also created a very powerful weapon to top off with his guns. To cover his identity, he took up row jobs: one as a test pilot at the Empire City airfields and the other at a weapons-manufacturing facility owned by industrialist, Gary Shen. The only few to know of his alter ego are Raine, Gary, and Walton (Gary's assistant), who hire him to do some jobs. When first he encounters the new "Dragon" (who is actually Po), he doesn't believe he's the real thing at first, but deemed him worthy when "Dragon" saved his life. He eventually goes on to repair his friendship with Calvin, who had missed Masamune a lot, and sometimes aids Dragon and the new Furious Five . . . but mostly he always on his own.**

**Costume Description:**

**He wears a black mask that's similar to Hawkeye's with a black one-way lens over the right eye, black vest over a black trench coat with a red dragon design on the front right, a red phoenix design on the back, armband on the right arm that has an odd symbol on it, talon-like gloves, black cargo pants, and black combat boots. His left eye also turns silver. He can transform while diving off a tall building. (Like in Assassin's Creed)**

**Powers and Abilities:**

**Hawkeye - His silver eye gives him the ability to see everything around him and to anticipate his opponent's every move. When in higher altitude, he can sense his surroundings a couple of blocks around him and pinpoint people of interests that he has in mind (like from a snapshot or memory).**

**Flashstep - A power that came with the Devil's Eye, he is able to warp short distances in quick succession, making him difficult to predict or hit.**

**Weapons and Equipment:**

**The Bladed Phoenix - A specially designed crossbow that is actually three in one: it's limb is tipped with a very sharp crescent blade, allowing it to serve as a sickle, and it's bridge/handle can extend it into a bladed whip . . . and, of course, it serves as a crossbow as well.**

**A sawed-off shotgun - A back up to his main weapon.**

**Skills:**

**Sharpshooting, excellent piloting skills, skilled negotiator/torturer, agility, skilled in close and long-ranged combat, and tech savvy.**

**Affiliation: Good (Anti-Hero)**


	10. Interlude: Bios of the Furious Five

**The suits of the Furious Five are heavily based on one of the costumes worn by the Marvel comics martial arts superhero; Daniel Rand K'ai AKA Iron Fist (if no one is familiar), just letting you know. The Bio of the Furious Five coming at ya:**

**Name: Iron Tigress**

**Real Name: Teresa "Terri" Hue**

**Species: Chinese tiger**

**Age: 17**

**Date of Birth: June 4, 1987**

**Residence: Downtown Empire City, in Shifu's studio**

**Gender: Female**

**Description:**

**slim yet muscular build, orange fur with black stripes and white from her muzzle to underbelly, long curly raven-black hair, and orange eyes.**

**Personality:**

**Brave, temperamental, bold, overachieving, fearless, prideful, friendly (on occasions), intelligent, serious, hardcore, impatient (to a small intent), and hardworking.**

**Friends and Family:**

**John (Jong) Hue (father/predecessor, missing)**

**Jok Hue (mother, missing)**

**Jack Shifu (legal guardian)**

**Tai Lung (foster-brother)**

**Calvin Kwan (friend/teammate)**

**Mel Tse (friend/teammate)**

**Vicky Luse (best friend/teammate)**

**Markus Tang (friend/teammate)**

**Mei Ling (good friend)**

**Po Ping (friend and ally to be).**

**Hobbies:**

**Practicing martial arts, studying, spending time with Vicky, action movies, video games, and (secretly) watching romance.**

**Likes:**

**(formerly) making fun of Po; (currently) her friends, her family, her foster-father (ironic), her best friend, steaks, her achievements, being a straight-A student, helping out, strong female leads, the new Po (in secret, though she doesn't recognize him at first), and Po (even more than a friend after he accepts her) . . .**

**Dislikes:**

**(formerly) Po, Vicky being mad at her, Vicky spending more time with Po, and weak people; (currently) bullies, injustice, people who get on her nerves, Devil's Trigger, arrogance, not helping Po, Tai Lung, the way she use to act, not being able to do good, disappointing Shifu, being judged on her temper and being Tai Lung's sister, being compared to her foster-brother, her temper, the poser calling himself "Dragon", and the disappearance of her parents.**

**Bio:**

**Terri was born to a loving mother and father, despite the temperament issues that run in her father's side of the family, which was only quelled in practicing martial arts. Growing up he was a huge fan of the heroes, more particularly Iron Tiger, the leader of the Furious Five. Growing up, she'd constantly insult a chubby panda boy named Po Ping whenever she could, which caused her best friend (and only friend at that time) Vicky to ignore her, much to her sadness. What no one knew was that the reason that she insulted Po was because she felt sad and angry on the inside. Since her temper was so uncontrollable, many children her age feared her, which made her feel lonely and took out her frustrations (though there would be no excuse) on the nearest possible person. When she heard the news of the "death" city's guardian, The Dragon, then the retirement of the rest of the heroes, she immediately started to question the way she acted and vowed to change for the greater good. One day, she saw her foster-brother Tai Lung beating up Po, but did nothing to help and watched as the panda was left to bleed. Unable to live with the guilt, she told Vicky, who was enraged at first, but relented when she saw that the tiger wanted to make things right. While walking through the park, they began to mock and make fun of Tai Lung behind his back, which also made them laugh overly hard. Unfortunately, they never noticed that someone they knew saw them together . . . Try as they might, Po would always vanish before they could have a single word with them. As soon as they heard that Po moved away, they tried to question his best friend and son of the Police Commissioner, Jeff Speakman. The German shepherd proved to be a true and understanding friend as he refused to disclose where the panda went, despite all the pleads and threats he received. The week after, her parents would drop her off at to live with a good friend, Jack Shifu, then vanished without a trace. It was then revealed that her father was Iron Tiger and Shifu was to train her, Calvin, Mel, Vicky, and Markus to be the next Furious Five. Though Shifu was very strict and showed little emotions, Terri still felt that he cared about them and only acted that way to help them become the greatest they are. Years later, after someone calling himself "Dragon" appeared, she decided it was time that the Furious Five stepped up to see who this apparent poser was . . .**

**Costume Description:**

**all red bodysuit with golden wristbands, a gold tiger symbol on the chest, Chinese character for "tiger" on the back, yellow boots, red fingerless gloves, yellow sash, and yellow bandanna mask.**

**Powers and Abilities:**

**Super Strength**

**Weapons and Equipment:**

**Iron Tiger Claws, Crane Amulet**

**Skills:**

**Martial arts (such as Tiger-style and Hung Kuen)**

**Affiliation: Good**

* * *

**Name: Silver Crane**

**Real Name: Calvin Kwan**

**Species: Black-necked crane**

**Age: 17**

**Date of Birth: April 4, 1987**

**Residence: Downtown Empire City, with his mom**

**Gender: Male**

**Description:**

**Toned build, black and white feathers, bronze beak, short brown hair, and yellow eyes.**

**Personality:**

**(Formerly) Shy and quiet; (currently) Brave, pragmatistic, patient, calm, anti-violent (until pushed), and hardworking.**

**Friends and Family:**

**unnamed father (deceased)**

**Delilah Kwan (mother/predecessor)**

**Mei Ling (mountain cat, girlfriend)**

**Masamune "Mass" Avia (friend he hasn't seen and misses a lot)**

**Teresa "Terri" Hue (friend/leader)**

**Mel Tse (friend/teammate)**

**Victoria "Vicky" Luse (friend/teammate)**

**Markus Tang (friend/teammate)**

**Jack Shifu (mentor)**

**Po Ping (friend-to-be)**

**Hobbies:**

**Calligraphy, practicing martial arts, playing video games, spending time (going on dates) with his girlfriend, and writing.**

**Likes:**

**His friends, his family, his girlfriend, heroes, his mentor (ironically), writing, the memories he had with his father, his mother's cooking, his memories of Mass, and seafood.**

**Dislikes:**

**Injustice, violence (until pushed), the gangs of Empire City, bullies, violent people, people disrespecting his family, Mel being an idiot (which is always), villains, people who push around others for fun, and people judging his choice in weapons.**

**Bio:**

**Calvin was born to loving parents in Empire, but sadly, his father died in a car crash when he was only ten-years-old. Growing up, Calvin was a huge fan of the hero Silver Crane from the Furious Five. Tough he never knew Po at all, he wished he could do something about Tai Lung when they were young. When he turned eleven, he was ambushed by a couple of Skullz members and would have been in serious danger, if not for an older avian; a hawk named Masamune (or Mass as he preferred). They both became very good friends as they both found out they both lost people who was very close to their hearts. A few days later, Calvin met Mei Ling and immediately became infatuated, but became sad as he never saw Mass again after that. Years later, he would find out that his own mother was Silver Crane from the Furious Five and that Shifu was to train them to be the best they can. He would follow his friends into action after hearing someone was going around, calling himself The "Dragon".**

**Costume Description:**

**all white bodysuit with yellow wristbands, a gold crane symbol on the chest, Chinese character for "tiger" on the back, yellow boots, yellow sash, and yellow bandanna mask.**

**Powers and Abilities:**

**Flight.**

**Weapons and Equipment:**

**Silver Crane Fans, Crane Amulet.**

**Skills:**

**Martial arts (such as Fujian White Crane and Hung Kuen) and incredible reading and writing skills.**

**Affiliation: Hero**

* * *

**Name: Steel Monkey**

**Real Name: Mel Tse**

**Species: golden snub-nose monkey**

**Age: 17**

**Date of Birth: April 7, 1987**

**Residence: Downtown Empire City, with his parents**

**Gender: Male**

**Description:**

**Toned body, lightly tanned fur, short blonde hair, snub nosed, and blue eyes.**

**Personality:**

**Friendly, playful, enthusiastic, easy-going, cunning, jokester, bit of a nitwit, and goofy.**

**Friends and Family:**

**Jordan (Ji) Tse (father/predecessor)**

**unnamed mother**

**Teresa "Terri" Hue (friend/teammate)**

**Calvin Kwan (friend and teammate)**

**Victoria "Vicky" Luse (friend/teammate)**

**Markus Tang (best friend/teammate)**

**Mei Ling (good friend)**

**Jack Shifu (mentor)**

**Po Ping (friend-to-be)**

**Hobbies:**

**Pranking, spending time with his friends, practicing martial arts, playing video games, watching comedy media, and watching soap opera (tell anyone and you die).**

**Likes:**

**(formerly) making fun of Po; (currently) his friends, his family, his mentor (ironically), pranks, video games, beautiful girls, helping people, good comedy, people laughing at his jokes, heroes, bananas in everything he eats, and his status as a hero.**

**Dislikes:**

**Injustice, bullies, Tai Lung, bad comedy, seeing people sad, being accused of a prank he never did, people who think the stereotypical of his species, villains, being the butt of everyone's joke, getting the "short end" of the stick, and people not taking him seriously.**

**Bio:**

**He grew up in Empire City and, like a lot of the other kids when they were young, made fun of Po because he was overweight. He was also best friends with Markus, but that friendship was temporarily severed when the marten found out that the monkey was making fun of Po. This saddened Mel, but after months of apologies (though Po was already gone) Markus forgave him. He was also a huge fan of Steel Monkey from the Furious Five and longed to one day be as admired as he was. After the "death" of the city's guardian Dragon, he decided that he would need to become a better person than he was, especially since the heroes of the city one day vanished. As he entered high school, he was shocked to find out that his father was Steel Monkey from the original Furious Five and he, along with Terri, Calvin, Vicky, and Markus would be trained by Master Jack Shifu to be a new generation. As soon as he found out that there was someone calling himself "Dragon" appeared, he decided that his training would be put to the test . . .**

**Costume Description:**

**All brown bodysuit with yellow wristbands, a gold monkey symbol on the chest, Chinese character for "monkey" on the back, yellow boots, yellow sash, and yellow bandanna mask.**

**Powers and Abilities:**

**Super speed**

**Weapons and Equipment:**

**Steel Monkey Staff, Monkey Amulet.**

**Skills:**

**Martial arts (such as Monkey-style and Hung Kuen).**

**Affiliation: Hero**

* * *

**Name: Bronze Viper**

**Real Name: Victoria "Vicky" Luse**

**Species: tree snake**

**Age: 16**

**Date of Birth: December 2, 1987**

**Residence: Downtown Empire City, with her parents**

**Gender: Female**

**Description:**

**Green scales, long raven hair that usually has two blossoms on the buns, and baby-blues eyes.**

**Personality:**

**Friends and Family:**

**Jeremy (Jien) Luse (father/predecessor)**

**Meredith Luse (Mother)**

**Unnamed younger sisters**

**Terri Hue (best friend/leader)**

**Calvin Kwan (friend/teammate)**

**Mel Tse (friend/teammate)**

**Markus Tang (cousin-in-law/friend/teammate)**

**Mei Ling (good friend)**

**Jack Shifu (mentor)**

**Po Ping (former friend/friend-to-be)**

**Hobbies:**

**Practicing martial arts, practicing ribbon dancing, reading, hip hop dancing, cooking with her sisters, watching romance movies and TV shows, and volunteering.**

**Likes:**

**Her friends, her family, her mentor (ironically), ribbon dancing, spending time with her sisters, performing in front of an audience, soap operas, justice, heroes, children, smiles, seeing people happy, helping people, Italian food, people who help others, cartoons, peace, romance media, and walking through the Empire City Park.**

**Dislikes:**

**Injustice, arrogance, self-righteousness, villains, prejudice, perverted people, people who mock her and her loved ones, people who think they are "all that", violence, people getting hurt, seeing people sad, rapists, people who misjudge Terri, Tai Lung, not being able to help Po when they were younger, harassment, horror films, and burritos.**

**Bio:**

**Vicky was born to a very loving and caring family, which became larger when her sisters were born years later. Growing up in Empire City, she met and befriended a young tiger cub named Terri Hue. She was the only person who knew Terri well enough as the other children feared her for her violent temper and would always call her a monster, which the snake would often defend against. She would soon meet and befriend a young panda named Po, who was often bullied and made fun of by practically most of the children in Empire City, including her own best friend. This made Vicky so angry that she started to ignore Terri completely, much to the tiger's sadness. She was known to be a huge fan of Bronze Viper of the Furious Five and as soon as she heard of the apparent "death" of Dragon an retirement of the other heroes, she vowed to become someone who would protect the innocent. After hearing that Tai Lung had beat up Po and that Terri could have stopped him, Vicky started to question if she made the right choice in befriending Terri. After a few weeks of constant apologies, Vicky finally forgave Terri and became friends once again. After walking in the park, Terri explained what she didn't help Po, then laughed at a joke about Tai Lung. What they didn't know was that someone saw them laughing together . . . They would search for weeks, but could never find the panda to explain things, which made the snake beyond concern. Upon finding out Po had went away, Vicky tried to ask Jeff where he went, but the German shepherd proved to be a true friend as he refused to tell everyone where the panda had went. This in no way deterred Vicky as she knew Po would return one day and once he did, she vowed they would be friends again. One day in high school she would be shocked to find out that her father was once Bronze Viper and she along with Terri, Calvin, Mel, and Markus were to be mentored by Master Jack Shifu to become a new generation of Furious Five. As soon as she heard that a person calling himself "Dragon" had appeared in Empire City, she decided to put her training to the test . . .**

**Costume Description:**

**All light-green bodysuit with yellow wristbands, a gold snake symbol on the chest, Chinese character for "snake" in the back, yellow boots, yellow sash, and yellow bandanna mask.**

**Powers and Abilities:**

**Invisibility**

**Weapons and Equipment:**

**Bronze Viper Whips, Snake Amulet**

**Skills:**

**Dancing and martial arts (such as Snake-style and Hung Kuen) and ribbon dancing.**

**Affiliation: Heroine**

* * *

**Name: Brass Mantis**

**Real Name: Markus Tang**

**Species: Marten**

**Age: 17**

**Date of Birth: April 15, 1987**

**Residence: Downtown Empire City, with his father**

**Gender: Male**

**Description:**

**Toned build with dark brown fur, short pointed ears, wavy hazelnut hair with green highlights, and brown eyes.**

**Personality:**

**Brave, impatient, impulsive, pragmatic, outspoken, and hot-headed.**

**Family and Friends:**

**Roland (Roh Kai) Tang (father/predecessor)**

**unnamed mother**

**Terri Hue (friend/leader)**

**Calvin Kwan (friend/teammate)**

**Mel Tse (best friend/teammate)**

**Vicky Luse (cousin-in-law/friend/teammate)**

**Jack Shifu (mentor)**

**Mei Ling (good friend)**

**Po Ping (friend in secret)**

**Hobbies:**

**Practicing martial arts, playing video games, spending time with his friends, watching TV, and practicing medicine.**

**Likes:**

**His family, his friends, his mentor (ironically), helping out, heroes, thinking big, video games, seafood, and hotdogs.**

**Dislikes:**

**Bullies, injustice, villains, people who hurt other, waiting too long, people mocking him on his height, Tai Lung, being called short, the person calling himself "Dragon" (at first), people who think they're better than anyone else, preppies, and horseradish.**

**Bio:**

**Markus was born to a loving family in Empire City and was one of the few friends of a panda named Po Ping since he was one of the people who bullied or made him. He was also good friends with Vicky Luse and, like the young snake, was angered whenever she or Mel teased him. This led the marten to temporarily sever the friendship with the simian, much to his [Mel's] confusion and sadness. It was when Tai Lung had beaten up Po and left him for dead is when the marten really started to dislike the snow leopard for how he acted (and he never changed). After a few months and countless apologies, the marten finally gave in and forgave the monkey, though he never questioned why Po left Empire City one day as he knew he'd be back. It was safe to say that he was a huge fan of the Furious Five Member, Brass Mantis, who was also his idol in life as he was also short for his size. After the apparent "death" of Dragon, who was the city's guardian, he vowed that one day, he would be a person who would protect the "little guys" of Empire City. Especially since most of the heroes of Empire City started to vanish. He would later find out his own father was Brass Mantis from the previous Furious Five and he along with Terri, Calvin, Mel, and Vicky would be mentored by Master Jack Shifu to become a new Furious Five. He chose to put his training to the test after someone calling himself "Dragon" had appeared in Empire City after years of silence . . .**

**Costume Description:**

**All dark-green bodysuit with yellow wristbands, a gold mantis symbol on the chest, Chinese character for "mantis" on the back, yellow boots, yellow sash, and yellow bandanna mask.**

**Powers and Abilities:**

**Mass growth and shrinking**

**Weapons and Equipment:**

**Brass Mantis Kamas, Mantis Amulet**

**Skills:**

**Acupuncture and Martial arts (such as Northern and Southern Mantis-style and Hung Kuen)**

**Affiliation: Hero**


	11. Changes Pt 1: Free for All

**King here, and I've got a new chap up and ready for reading. For those who don't know, the Man of Steel is coming out in June, and I am so PSYCHED! Hope no one minded that I made a chap just for the Furious Five's bios, if I put them in the last chap it'd be too long. As for this one, it will be as long as it needs to be, but I do apologize if I made it so long (and I don't mean goodbye). I also hope you'll like this one as much as the previous ones. KFP is owned by DreamWorks, not by me, but I do own the rights to Empire City and all the OCs that dwell within (and out) it's limit's. Now, with all that being said, the show must go on! Enjoy!**

* * *

Chapter 9: Changes Pt. 1: Free For All

* * *

Dragon and Devil's Trigger stared at the multicolored suited figures in awkward silence. Where'd these weirdos come from? Dragon was so sure that he was the only costumed person, beside the person the criminal underworld fears to an extent that was only a few feet away from him, around to do anything with all the thugs going about their "below legal" activities. Seriously, didn't anyone know it's impolite to interrupt someone when they're having a conversation, or whatever? Now things were, really, starting to get weird in this city. First Po found out his legal guardian was his most favorite hero in all Empire City (besides Commissioner Speakman) right after he took down the ScaleZ, then he took up being guardian of the very city he lived in, now . . . this. Was it his fate to meet up with all this freaky stuff, or was it all one huge coincidence. The former was very unlikely.

"Alright, you who are you guys suppose to be?" DT asked, confused by the appearance of the five strangers.

"We're . . ." The female in the middle, who appeared to be a feline and the leader of the group, was about to say . . .

"The Furious Five!" The guy in the brown suit, who appeared to be a simian, said while doing a pose, possibly trying to be more dramatic, but it made him look like a dope

"You've got to be kidding me . . ." Dragon exasperated, then rubbed his temples.

"Dude . . ." The guy in the green suit, who appeared to be a sort of weasel, said, giving his teammate a look of weary.

"I can't believe you . . ." The girl in the green suite, who appeared to be a scalie, berated.

"What, I was trying to give us more depth!" The brown suited person protested.

The same looks of annoyance came across the rest of his teammates, but the reaction had a different effect on Devil's Trigger. He looked between the five costumed figures, then began to laugh hysterically that he fell onto his back. This didn't go unnoticed by Dragon and the "Furious Five" stared his way, not liking the way he was laughing.

"Hey, what's so funny?!" The guy in the white suit, who appeared to be an avian since he had a beak, demanded.

"You guys . . . The Furious Five?!" DT wheezed out, still laughing. "First this poser comes along, now you guys come in and think you're the Furious Five, that's a good one!"

"Excuse, 'poser' ?" Dragon questioned, offended by what he was just called.

"I'll calls them as I sees them, what can I say?"

"Well, we're the real deal in this city." The lead female stated, the looked towards Dragon. "Unlike a certain flashy dressed someone."

"Excuse me, Last time I check, I've done a hell of a lot before you all showed up." Dragon defended, not liking the way he was being talked to.

"Please, after the bank heist, I'm surprised you've made it this long." The girl in the green suit rebuked. "what you're doing is called being a 'vigilante'."

"In other words: you're just someone in a suit pretending to be someone you're not." The lead female stated. "Calling yourself the guardian of the city, even if he's dead, you should know better."

"Uh huh and what does that make all of you?" Dragon pointed out calmly with his arms crossed. "You're all wearing suits and calling yourselves the same names of heroes not seen in years"

This made the five figures freeze where they stood. Despite claiming they were heroes, they were just as much as vigilantes as the two before them. Now this was a challenge, if there ever was one in the form of words.

"Yeah . . . well, we're different!" The simian defended weakly.

"How different?" DT asked with his arms crossed and lifted an eyebrow.

"We're just . . . we just are!"

"Well, gotta hand it you, you're all taking thins whole role-play very seriously."

"Be quiet!" The avian in the white suit snapped.

"We know who you are and we will not tolerate some adrenaline-junky play good hero/bad hero in this city!" The lead female stated with fury in her eyes. "Now hand over the box with the USB drive or we'll take it from you!"

"Junkie, oh please, I only feel the rush when I'm chugging down alcohol or in bed with women (sometimes both)." DT replied as he smirked about his earlier "activities". "Adrenaline, however, I plainly just don't need it."

"I'm not going to say it again. Hand. Over. That. Box."

"Look, it's been a blast chatting with you guy and all, but I've got a package to deliver, if you'd excuse me . . ."

"You're not going anywhere!" The guy in the green suit yelled as he and his teammates charged at Devil's Trigger.

Before Dragon could say anything, Devil's Trigger vanish as soon as the "Five" were only a foot near him. The six looked around to find any trace of the bane of the underground. Unfortunately, they saw no clue where he could be.

"Where'd he go?" The girl in the green suit asked in confusion.

"Up here!" DT's voice called from one of the higher buildings.

Everyone looked up to see that the person in question was perched on a gargoyle, staring down at the group, plus the

"Silver!" The female in red ordered the avian in white.

"On it!" He replied as he, with much surprised from Dragon, took out a sort of necklace.

This necklace was like none other Dragon had, it was silver chained that held an oval-shaped diamond, which had a symbol of a crane and Chinese character for "crane" below it. That was the Animal Amulet of the Crane! It granted its chosen wielder the power of flight, even if the wielder was a non-avian species. Where'd this guy find it anyway? Did he take it from the real Silver Crane? Was it given to him? Those questions were only a few of a million in Dragon's head as he saw the avian place the amulet around his neck, then flew straight towards DT.

"Hey there, Peter Pan, I thought I was the only "fly boy" in these parts." DT mused as he vanished, then appeared on the same building as Dragon.

"Your flight's been canceled, and that's Silver Crane to you!"

"Really, last time I checked, Silver Crane was a woman."

"Yeah . . . well, I'm obviously a guy!"

"And Bronze Viper, assuming that's what the chick in green over there calls herself, was a guy."

"Yeah, so, what if he was!" "Bronze Viper" shot back, but hid a blush.

"Got something to say about me?" The girl in red demanded with a growl.

"No, you're good."

"What, got nothing to say because the "real" Iron Tiger wasn't a girl?!"

"You're a _girl_?" Dragon questioned as he looked up "Iron Tiger" up and down. "I'm not seeing it"

"Quiet you!" "Iron Tiger" snapped.

"No, he's right, I see nothing _feminine_ about you." DT added with a look of deep thought. "In fact, you're as _manly_ as the real Iron Tiger."

"I am not! And, for the record, it's Iron _Tigress_!"

"Honestly, and I suppose those two are, supposedly, "Brass Mantis" and "Steel Monkey"? They're certainly the most convincing "knock-offs" I can see for miles."

"That's it, I'm not just going to stand here and be mocked by some two-bit, alcoholic pervert with an eyepatch!" "Steel Monkey" yelled in anger

"In case you haven't noticed, we out number you five to one." Brass Mantis reminded bitterly.

"Am I now?" DT mused sinisterly, taking out a sort of weird-looking crossbow which seemed to have a golden blade on its arch. "This means the odds are in my favor."

"No way . . . . the Bladed Phoenix . . ." Dragon gasped, his eyes widened behind his mask.

"The one and only."

"That's the Bladed Phoenix?" "Brass Mantis" scoffed in disbelief. "That doesn't look so threatening to me."

"Well the, let me open your eyes!" DT shouted as he began to spin the crossbow so fast, that the crossbow became longer and more whip-like with each spin DT swung.

"Holy . . ." Was the only thing Dragon could utter as he barely dodged the incoming blade.

"Look out!" "Iron Tigress" shouted as she and her three other comrades also barely dodged the sharp blade-like whip, then glared at the black clad avian as they regrouped.

"You've heard the saying: mess with the bull, you get the horn." DT said, now sounding more menacingly (especially since his silver eye began to glow dimly) as he advanced towards the so-called "Furious Five". "But in this case: you messed with the hawk, now you pretentious dick's are getting the talons!"

"_Nice_ philosophy, _very_ wise!" Dragon's voice called out sarcastically, making everyone turn towards where they heard him and saw that he now held the box with the flash drive! "Tell you what, you take care of those guys and I'll return this to its rightful owners."

"What the . . . when did . . . how did you find that, I hid it . . !"

"Where do you think you're going?" "Iron Tigress" interjected, now fully interested in this so-called "Dragon", feeling as though she knew him somewhere.

"Uh, what part of, "_taking box back to owners_", did you not get?"

DT was about to say something, but was interrupted by "Silver Crane" as he landed next to his leader.

"Better idea, you hand over the box to us and we'll give it back, like professionals." The avian in white suggested.

"A few words if you'd be so kind?" Dragon asked innocently.

"Fine, what are they?" "Iron Tigress" demanded, becoming very impatient from all the stalling that was happening.

"_Ban khong phai la ong chu cua toi._"

"What?" "Bronze Viper" questioned in confusion as did her comrades.

"Oh, that's just something I read out of a Vietnamese dictionary. It translate to: "You are not the boss of me". Now if you'll excuse me, this is one rental that needs to an urgent returning."

With that said, Dragon turned and began to make his way back towards the computer building. Devil's Trigger, now becoming utterly furious by the turn of events was about to transport and give chase, but stopped as soon as he heard a low growl. He turned to see that four of the "Furious Five" back up away from their leader, who was the source of the growls. Who did this guy think he was. Certainly not the real Dragon! He was dead and he was never coming back. Yeah they were basically doing the same thing on their part with the Furious Five, but they were trained in many things no one their age had went through. "Iron Tigress" reached into her belt and took out a sort of necklace, but not just necklace, it was exactly like the one that was worn by "Silver Crane", only it was a ruby with the symbol of a tiger, Chinese character for "tiger" beneath the symbol, and was held by a copper chain. Devil's Trigger recognized it as the same necklace that was worn by Iron Tiger as was the same necklace worn by Silver Crane that the avian in white now possessed. As soon as the necklace was around the felines neck, her eyes began to glow red, then the gloves on her hands began to glow the same red. The glow became brighter, then started to form into claw-like designs until they actually became gold/copper claw-like gloves.

The feline thrust one of her hands forward, which shot of the claws, which was connected to a sort of cord, and shot it straight for Dragon! Dragon, sensing the in coming projectile, side-flipped to the left and saw the claw embed itself into an entrance to the roof he was standing on. He whirled around to see that the cord that was connected to the claw came from "Iron Tigress", much to his shock and chagrin. But what really got to him was the necklace that he was wearing; it was the Tiger Animal Amulet! It was like the Crane Animal Amulet, only it granted its chosen wielder the power of super-strength. The real Furious Five were the ones who possessed these very same amulets, but the hadn't been seen since the original Dragon "died". Where were these guys getting these things from? The certainly didn't look like knockoffs, what with the claws penetrating trough the door of the roof entrance.

"We were going to let you go, but now you're coming with us for questioning!" "Iron Tigress" stated with a low growl.

Okay, that's how you want it?" Dragon asked in a low voice as he placed the box away and took out both pairs of his nunchucks. "Then let's kick it up a notch!"

"I got this guy, you guys take care of Trigger."

"With pleasure!" "Brass Mantis" replied as he and his other two comrades took out necklaces of their own.

To the shock of Dragon and surprise of Devil's Trigger, these necklaces appeared to be similar to the ones worn by "Iron Tigress" and "Silver Crane", only the gems were a quartz, a jade, and an emerald. The quartz had a symbol within it, Chinese character for "monkey" below it, and was held by a grey chain. The jade had a symbol of snake, Chinese character for "snake" below it, and was held by a bronze chain. Finally, the emerald had a . These were the Monkey, Snake, and Mantis Animal Amulets. All five of these posers held all five of the Five Animal Amulets! This was no mere coincidence, but it was impossible! Only the Furious Five were allowed to carry the powers bestowed to their chosen wielders. Apparently, these guys were the "real deal" as the three put on their amulets and began to glow the color of their gem. "Silver Crane" landed next to "Steel Monkey" as he, along with his comrades, began to glow again. This time, however, the glow went from being all over their bodies to the both of her hands. After a brief flash, the four now held different weapons: "Silver Crane" held a pair of silver crane-like fans that looked to be daggers when unfolded, "Steel Monkey" held a grey six-foot long Bo staff with a simian design, "Bronze Viper" held what appeared to be two bronze chain-whips with snake-like designs on the ends, and "Brass Mantis" held a pair of mantid-like Kamas with green stems and brass blades. Now they were using the weapons used by the Furious Five?! This couldn't be happening, but it was.

"Okay, I see where this is going . . ." DT smirked wickedly, then formed his crossbow into a small sickle (which was slightly bigger than the Kamas "Brass Mantis" had) and dropped into a fighting stance. "I could use the exercise."

"So could we." "Steel Monkey" said as he and his comrades got into fighting stances of their own.

Without another word to be said, "Iron Tigress" rushed at Dragon as did her comrades with Devil's Trigger. Dragon found that the lore about the Tiger Animal Amulet giving its wielder enchanted strength was true, especially since he had to block palm strike that nearly knocked him off his feet, if not for the power of the Eternal Ember. He did skid back a few feet, but was still standing and now he was ready to get into the game. Dragon took Wing Chun stance, Nunchucks at the ready, as "Iron Tigress" charged again. This time he was prepared for her and waited till she got close enough. He then brought up his right leg, winding her as the foot had struck her in the gut, then shot out his right fist and punched her straight in the jaw. The feline fell on her, but rolled back into a crouching position, despite reeling from the punch. She had to admit, he was skilled and felt his strength was as augmented as hers, but she dismissed this as it was the suit giving him the combat prowess. It may have appeared that he shot fire like the real Dragon, but the could've been special effects, plus he could've used this whole "gangs-amuck" thing to make him look popular.

"I'll admit, you're good, but I'm better." "Iron Tigress" stated as she stood up and got back into a fighting stance

"Let's put that to the test, shall we?" Dragon mocked, performing a few moves with his Nunchucks, then got into a JKD stance.

As both Dragon and Tiger had their little stand-off, DT was surrounded by the rest of the "Five". "Steel Monkey" made the first move as he seemed to vanish with a trace. The next thing DT knew he found himself on the floor, even as he tried to stand back up, something kept pushing him back to the ground. Focusing his powers into his silver eye, DT looked around his environment. It appeared that time had froze all around him and he saw that the simian was moving in slow-motion. He must have been using super speed like the real Steel Monkey, clever, but predictable as the Bane of the Skullz knew what to do. He vanished for a short time then appeared and held out an arm, causing "Steel Monkey" run into it and skid to a nearby wall.

"Dumbass." DT snorted, then heard footsteps approach from somewhere near him.

He listened carefully, then barely dodged a few swipes from two chain-whips, which appeared out of nowhere. He listened carefully as the footsteps approach closer, then blocked dodged, and parried attacks from an unseen foe. He shot out both of his arms, grabbed some thing in front of him, then struck with a knee kick. It was apparently effective since the unseen foe fell to the floor, then materialized to reveal it was the female snake. She was in excruciating pain as she held her gut tightly.

"Normally, I don't hit hotties like yourself, but you and your friends are really starting to piss me off." DT said, kneeling next to her.

"She should be so lucky!" "Silver Crane" remarked sarcastically as he flew at the other avian.

DT blocked, parried, and countered each attack from his opponent's fans with his sickle. It was then that the avian in white connected the fans together, which created a sort of disk, then threw it at the avian in black. DT used the blade on his sickle to hold of the still spinning fan-disk, then deflected it back to its user, who caught it with ease. He came at the hawk, but after a few punch, both avian found their arms locked and glared at each other. It was then that "Silver Crane" noticed something on the hawk's beak; a crack? This caused the crane to freeze up as images of another hawk with a distinct crack on his beak flashed through his mind. Seeing that his foe was distracted, DT threw his arms up, which caught the crane off-balance, then side-kicked him away. "Silver Crane" was able to block the side-kick, but wasn't so lucky when DT spun into a tornado kick. He would have continued the onslaught, if not for "Brass Mantis", who was now taller than DT and attacked with his equally larger Kamas. It was challenging to block the larger sickle without teleporting, but DT always loved challenges in many shapes and sizes. After Devil's Trigger teleported a few feet away, "Brass Mantis" was joined by "Silver Crane", who flew beside his now larger comrade.

"Look who's living large now." The weasel taunted the hawk.

"But for how long?" DT asked in a calm tone.

Back to Dragon and "Iron Tigress", both sowed that they were skilled in martial arts. There was one flaw with the feline, though: she became more and more impatient each time she missed a hit or was blocked and struck instead. She managed to get her hands on one of her opponents Nunchucks and even though they both showed initiative, Dragon proved to be more of a pro. He could literally spin his pair on the chain with just his one index finger, while she ended up hitting her self on the head, which really pissed her off. She charged forward and intended to strike Dragon with both of her claws, but he ducked and the result ended up with her claws piercing through a wall.

_Man I wish these guys had an off-button!_ Dragon though, then felt an odd surge go off in his body.

The feline, avian, and weasel apparently felt the same surge as Dragon did because they stood there as if something had brushed by them. They noticed something was wrong as "Brass Mantis" shrunk back to his normal size, but was now at the same height as "Silver Crane" and gravity was pulling them down. "Silver Crane" was able to gracefully land on his feet with getting hurt. "Brass Mantis", however, wasn't so lucky as he had landed on his front to the floor, which was very painful. The avian in white helped up the weasel as they noticed their amulets power had abruptly stopped, so did "Iron Tigress" as she struggled to get her claws out of the wall they were pierced through.

"The hell . . . can't get loose!" she yelled as she continued her struggle, which made Dragon smirk under his mask.

"Think we can still take him?" "Brass Mantis" asked his now powerless avian comrade.

DT merely smirk, then teleported all around them and began his onslaught. Both guys could do nothing as they were attacked by . . . well . . . everywhere! The next thing they knew, they were on the floor writhing in pain and their weapons far from reach

"No, we can't take him without our abilities . . ." "Silver Crane" wheezed out a reply.

"Do you give?" Dragon demanded as he clunked the feline's head to the wall. "Do you give?!"

"Not by . . . . the hair on my . . . . chiny-chin-chin . . ." "Iron Tigress" replied in a dazed voice from being slammed into the wall.

"Oh, well then, I'll huff, then I'll puff . . . and I'm going to give you the ass whooping of a lifetime!"

He then slipped in front of her and struck her with a back-kick, which caused her to fly back to her comrades, who of which were easily defeated by Devil's Trigger. Seeing all five of the "Fake Five" down and out, Dragon felt a flow of victory through his body.

"Yeah! Don't you bring that smack up in hee-ya!" Dragon stated like a home-bay, then turned away from the group and pounded on his chest. "This is my house!"

"Oh, well then, welcome to the neighborhood . . ." "Steel Monkey" said as his eyes fell upon "Silver Crane's" fans still in a disk, then picked it up. "I saw you coming, so I baked you a pie!"

"Steel, no!" "Silver Crane" shouted when he noticed what his comrade was up to, but it was far too late.

Despite hearing the avian's protest, "Steel Monkey" threw the fan-disk at Dragon, who had sensed the incoming projectile and backflipped before it had any chance of touching him. Everything went by so slow as Dragon landed gracefully onto his feet, then turned to look at the "Five". Before anything else could happen, "Silver Crane" saw that his fan-disk had returned, unfolded it bat to two fans, then glared at his simian comrade as he placed them away.

"Dude, I know martial arts was based on deception, but come o . . ." Dragon started to say, but . . .

CREAK

This made Dragon stop in mid-sentence almost instantly. Where did that sound come from? It was apparent that he wasn't the only one that heard that sound as DT and the "Five" also went silent.

"What was that . . ?" "Bronze Viper" asked, a sense of dread creeping into her mind.

"That . . ." DT replied, then pointed to a nearby water tower.

At first no one saw anything wrong with it, but . . . CREAK . . . Wait! There it was again! Everyone looked closer and saw that it was tilting almost over its left a bit. It was then that they all saw that three of the legs were cut clean off! Most likely it was because of "Steel Monkey" when he threw the fan-disk. The water tower began to tilt over the edge, which made everyone tense up and pray it wouldn't fall over. It then stopped, much to the relief of the seven . . . only for the entire tower, plus the water, fell over the side of the building and down to the street below! As they all peered over the roof, they saw that the tower fell in front of a large big-rig, causing it to swerve, then fall onto its side. This made a lot of cars crash right into it; thank goodness there wasn't an explosion. Not in detonation anyway. "Steel Monkey" was then met with a feeling of extreme fury as all attention was aimed at him.

"NOW LOOK WHAT YOU'VE DONE!" Dragon, Devil's Trigger, and "Iron Tigress" shouted, unaware they did it simultaneously, angrily at the primate.

"Uh . . . oops . . ?" "Steel Monkey" replied nervously as he was met by six angry glares.

"Yeah, yeah, oops!" "Silver Crane" chuckle, then angrily punched his comrade on the arm, not caring it had hurt him.

"Well, guess there's one thing to do . . ." Dragon sighed as he jumped down a few levels.

"Hey, where are you going?" "Brass Mantis" called to the falling hero.

"Saving lives! It's what heroes do!"

"Okay, though I still say he hardly counts as one, we need to get down there and make sure everyone's alright." "Iron Tigress" stated, giving her simian comrade a glare, then turned to Devil's Trigger. "You just caught a lucky break, but next time, you're ours."

With that said, the feline led her team down to the streets, which gave the black clad avian enough time to locate where the box was hidden. But as soon as he found out where it was, his thoughts went down to the people on the streets; some of them could've been seriously hurt. He had a job to do, but there were lives in trouble.

"God dammit . . ." DT groaned, then stood on the edge of the roof. "Stay tight, beautiful, I'll be right back."

He was then enveloped in a black fog and when it cleared up, he was nowhere to be seen.

* * *

Down where the crash had took place was a horrible site to see, indeed. Cars were nearly stacked on one another, while people were scrambling around to either help or call for help. Help did arrive, but in the form of seven costumed people, five of which weren't recognized, but no one questioned good fortune. People were shocked and confused to see that one of the rescuers was Devil's Trigger, but he proved to be trustworthy . . . for now. Dragon broke the door to a Nissan and pulled out the passenger side, thankfully she was the only person in the car. She was a female mountain cat in her mid-twenties with light brown fur that had black stripes, long hazelnut hair, and when her eyes fluttered open, he saw that they were a lime-green. She wore a white long-sleeved shirt, light blue jeans that were held by a brown belt, and a pair of white Nike's.

"What . . ." The feline was about to asked.

"Don't speak, help's on the way." Dragon replied, then went back to helping people out of the crashed cars.

It took a while, but all seven had managed to clear the cars on anyone trapped. DT was helping a little wolverine girl out of a van, but failed to notice a large incoming Hummer that was rocketing its way to where the avian was. Before the car made it close Dragon appeared and gripped the front bumper, much to everyone's surprise and awe, then began to glow a faint gold. DT then noticed how close the hulking vehicle was close to crushing his body, but also saw that Dragon began to glow brighter, then lifted the Hummer over his head as a wave of golden energy surged off his body. The "Furious Five" stared in complete astonishment and felt the energy coming from Dragon as did Devil's Trigger. But he felt more than just that, in fact, he had a hell of a lot of mixed feeling as he took the wolverine girl to her parents. He couldn't believe it, after all the trouble he's caused over the years, all the mostly "none legal" methods he performed. It just felt as if it were a strange dream. Someone had saved his life.

"Could it be . . ?" "Silver Crane" asked in awe.

"No, it couldn't be . . ." "Brass Mantis" replied in disbelief.

"The Eternal Ember . . ." "Iron Tigress" finished, astonished beyond belief. "He really is Dragon . . ."

Though, he'd never admit this on a daily basis, Devil's Trigger was grateful for Dragon lending him a hand. DT gain the younger hero's attention by placing a hand on his shoulder. Okay, this wasn't easy, but he needed to say it one way or another.

"Thanks . . . I guess . . ." DT said sheepishly, not use to be being saved from danger.

"Just don't make a habit out of it and we'll be just fine." Dragon replied jokingly.

After making sure everyone was safe and out of danger the group, minus Devil's Trigger (who had vanished shortly after Dragon saved him), met at a nearby alley. Before anyone could say anything, everyone heard a loud moan coming from behind a dumpster. The six approached to see that there was someone laying on bag of garbage. To their shock, the person appeared to be only fifteen years old! Not only that, but it was a lioness with golden fur and long blue hair. Her eyes were closed, so it was hard to tell what color they were, but there was a large scar over the right eye. She wore a ripped up white tank-top, but not enough to expose her, torn blue jeans, and worn up black Sketchers. There was another thing that had caught Dragon's attention as he quickly picked up the object, then hid it in his belt.

"See what you've done, banana breath?" Dragon angrily demanded as everyone glared at the simian once again.

"First off: there's no need for offense; secondly: I didn't . . ." "Steel Monkey" tried to defend.

"Stow it, Steel, it's obvious she's not hurt because of you, be lucky it wasn't" "Silver Crane" spoke up and examined the lioness thoroughly. "By her condition, I'd say that she's been here for hours."

"Is she stable?" "Bronze Viper" asked in concern.

"Barely, she needs to be taken to the hospital and quick."

"I'll take her." Dragon stated, then picked her up before anyone else could do anything and started to leave, but stopped. "YOu know, for a couple of rookies, self excluded, you guys are alright."

With that said, he leapt away and vanished into the night.

"Wow . . . hey, hold on . . . who're you calling "rookies" you . . ." "Steel Monkey" yelled, but couldn't think of what to call him, even though he was just as much a rookie as they were.

"Never mind him, we need to get going before the cops arrive." "Iron Tigress" spoke up, but looked to where Dragon went, hoping they might bump into him again, then ordered a retreat.

* * *

It was chaos at the Empire City General Hospital as people from the incident of the Lab District of the city were pouring in. Thankfully there were very few injured and no one was killed; that had to count for something. A female rabbit at the front desk was

"I need a doctor, someone was hurt."

"From the incident, I'm sure, if you can just . . . wait . . ?" The Lapine was about finish, but stopped as soon as she noticed that her fellow workers and patients were staring at something near her. She looked up to see that the apparent "new" Dragon was standing there with an unconscious lioness in his arms.

"Please, this is an emergency." Dragon pleaded, which was convincing enough. "And no, she's not homeless; these clothes barley look month old."

"I'll get right on it . . ."

"No need, I'm already here." A middle-aged gerbil in a white lab coat spoke up as he approached the desk and gestured for a gurney team to approach.

"Now you suppose I'd have to file a report on the person I found?" Dragon asked sheepishly to which the doctor nodded. "Well, you see, I don't know who she is or how she got there in the first place, but I found this behind the same dumpster I found her."

He then held out and handed the doctor an odd-looking syringe that resembled a Chinese dragon's head with a beaker in its mouth. The rodent looked the needle up and down till he finally recognized what it was. It was the same type of syringe that the Raptorz have been using to rob places! But then, why was the feline found with one of these "super steroids"? Were the Raptorz or one of the other gangs using her as a test subject to the substance within the beaker? What ever the case was, it was good that this "new" Dragon had arrived with her just in time.

"Is there anything else I need to know?" The gerbil asked as the lioness was hurried to emergency.

"Actually, it's important that you call Commissioner Seth Speakman and give him these." Dragon replied, handing the gerbil a flashdrive and a piece of paper. "Now then, if you can see to it that she gets better, I leave her in your hands."

"Hold on . . ."

"Sorry, doc, but I still got some work to do!"

With that said and done, Dragon rush out of the hospital, then leaped from building to building, much to the awe of the hospital and other people around.

"Seems so." The doctor smiled, then turned to a deer at the front desk. "Well, like he said, get Commissioner Speakman on the line."

* * *

In another part of the city was none other than Devil's Trigger, flashing from building to building with the box in hand, until he stopped near a cell tower that overlooked a sort of tavern with the name "Phoenix Roost" in bright red letters. After exhaling a huge sigh, the avian jumped off the building where he was perched, his outfit vanishing in a black mist as he fell, save his mask. Like a ballerina from Swan Lake, he landed gracefully on his feet on the roof of the tavern.

"Still got the moves." He chuckled, then walked towards the entrance to the roof.

He walked down two floors, until he had reached the second floor bar. As he entered the bar, he saw the rooster Casey and the snake Ulysses were present as he thought they would. Casey wore a black short-sleeved shirt, faded blue jeans that were held by brown leather belt, and black Vans. He was currently busy wiping the counters, meaning it was closing time. Ulysses wore a white long-sleeved shirt with a grey vest over it, grey pant, and the same boots he wore days ago. He currently had his nose in a book and drank what appeared to be tea at the same time. Both heard footsteps approach them slowly, meaning it was on person in particular.

"Mass . . . glad to see you're still among the living." Ulysses remarked without even turning to look at the avian.

"Nice to see you too, Ulysses." Mass, the avian, replied as he took off his mash and revealed himself to be the same hawk from earlier, only now his silver eye turned back to its regular red.

"Where were you, man?" Casey asked in concern. "You had us worried sick."

"I'm fine, _mom_, really."

"Oh, then how come you haven't returned our calls?"

"Cell died, besides, I was busy with an errand."

"You mean . . ?" Ulysses was about to ask, but stopped.

"Yup, and you are not going to believe who I bumped into tonight."

"Ooh, was it the Canadian Yeti?!" The rooster asked in excitement, which made both his friends stare at him weird looks.

"No, I bumped into this guy who claims to be . . ." Mass started to say, then made air quote to emphasize his point. "'The Dragon'."

"Whoa back up . . . you mean the late 'Dragon' came back from the dead?!"

"No, this guy wore a completely different costume that him . . . but he did have the same weapons and powers."

Though he didn't mention the part where the "fake" had saved him from falling debris; he knew that they'd never let him live it down for as long as he lived, especially Casey.

"Interesting, I heard he recently stopped a bank robbery . . ." Ulysses said, passing a newspaper that showed Dragon being it by the traffic signal. "Although he seems a little bit wet behind the ears."

"Look, I know the kid means well . . . but come on, no one can simply take on a legend's name and expect to be all that . . ." Mass snorted as he took a seat at the bar. "Still, at least he wasn't as bad as the Freakin Five."

"Wait, you mean the Furious Five are back as well?!"

"Again I say no, just a bunch of pretentious early trick-or-treaters thinking that just because they're heroes, that they're better than all the other heroes out there, if they're still out there." The hawk assured nonchalantly. "Good thing I put four of them in their place."

"Mass . . . you didn't . . ." Ulysses started, giving his hawk friend a hard look.

"Of course I didn't _kill_ them . . . although I really wan to . . . especially that Iron Tiger wannabe . . . honestly, if I knew the guy who trained her, I'd give him one straight in the jaw!"

"Easy there, Mass." Casey said, placing a hand on the bird of prey. "How about a drink?"

"I'd love one, as a mater a fact, thank you." Mass replied as his thoughts went back to Silver Crane and how he had looked at him. It was as if he recognized him from somewhere, at the same time, it felt to the hawk that this wannabe was familiar as well . . . he shook his head at the thought. There was no way they knew each other, but still.

"So, what's in the box?" Ulysses asked when his eyes fell upon said box.

"My payload, check for yourselves."

The snake did just that as the rooster leaned over to see, but became confused as soon as they peered in.

"Let me rephrase what I just said: was there _suppose_ to be _anything_ in the box?" Ulysses asked, looking at the hawk with a raised eyebrow.

"What do you mean?" Mass asked, thinking the snake was messing with him, but saw how serious he was.

"I think you grabbed the wrong box, eh?" Casey replied, turning the box . . . to show that it was empty!

The hell?!

"B-but, there was a flashdrive . . . . with unlimited info on Wellington . . . It was right in this box, it had to be! The directions were clear, I never make mistakes like this!"

That was then that he noticed at little piece of pater where the USB drive should have been and took it out for his friends to see.

"What's this?" Mass asked in confusion.

_To Devil's Trigger_

Mass raised an eyebrow at this, then unfolded the piece of paper and saw that it was actually a note.

_Dear, Devil's Trigger:_

_This USB drive is the property of Wellington International._

_If you're interested in computers, then buy one at a computer shop._

_Till then, keep your mitts off stolen property._

_Sincerely,_

_Your Friendly Neighborhood Dragon_

_P.S._

_I love Spider-Man and I've always wanted to say that_

How the hell?! When did . . . then it hit him like a ton of bricks as he realized why the little device was missing . . .

* * *

**_FLASHBACK_**

* * *

_As Devil's Trigger swung the blade from the Bladed Phoenix at the so-called "Furious Five", Dragon, after dogging the blade himself, sensed where the box with the flashdrive was hidden, then snuck his way to where it was. He opened the box to see the one inch long device, to see that it was unharmed to scratched. Seriously, the Nighties and Devil's Trigger were paid to retrieve this little gizmo? But, then again, it did come from Wellington International. That meant there was a ton of info on this little device alone to give any of its rival corporations an advantage to close them down, likely permanently. After looking over his shoulder and seeing that DT was staring down with the "Furious Five" and saying some things they didn't like by the looks of it, Dragon placed the flashdrive away in a safe part of his suit. He then took out a pen and piece of paper, then began to write a message for whoever would get the box first. After he was done, Dragon placed the message into the box, fastened it closed, then jumped up to gain the attention of DT and the "Five". _

* * *

_**End Flashback**_

* * *

"Son of a bitch." Mass chuckled, perhaps there was hope for that newbie yet. "Got give him his props, he keeps proving me wrong."

"Very clever, if I do say so myself, eh?" Casey added, also smirking at the note.

"Just when you think you're the one in control." Ulysses snorted, though he too felt a sort of respect for the Dragon's "replacement". "Maybe now there'll be more excitement in this city."

"Maybe there will be, only time will tell." Mass mused, then turned back to his rooster friend. "So, Casey, my drink if you'd please."

* * *

To Be Continued: Changes Pt. 2: P-A-R-T-WHY?!

* * *

**There you have it, chap 9 and in all it's 15 minuets of fame. Now this was a tricky one to write, but I hope it satisfies. Congrats to AnthroLover and edger230 on your ideas turned characters and soon enough, when I get to the main fic, they will become heroes. I hope I have anyone wait too long for an update and I'll try to update as fast as I can. Now that it's summer, I got all the free time in the world, unless I'm dragged to go somewhere, or have to work, or go to a workout. The bottom line, I'll try to update more often. Till next time, this is King of 2211, signing off.**


	12. Changes Pt 2: P-A-R-T-WHY!

**Just got back from seeing Man of Steel and loved it! Anyway, here's the next chap of Dragon, hope it didn't take too long to update. My laptop wouldn't let me on Doc Manager, it said I wasn't logged on and when I tried ti access it a few times, it kept telling me to clear cookies, but there's nothing to clear, that ever happened to any of you? Anyway, I hope this chap is good like the other ones. DreamWorks owns KFP, but I don't. On with the show!**

* * *

Chapter 10: Changes Pt. 2: P-A-R-T-WHY?!

* * *

**Location Unknown**

* * *

The "Furious Five" stood at attention as a short red panda inspected them up and down. He appeared to be in his mid-forties with white and orange-brown fur, large rounded ears, cone pointed muzzle, short brown hair that was dulled with a little gray, and greyish-blue eyes. He wore an orange polo shirt, light-brown slacks that was held by a brown belt, and black leather shoes. Though he appeared to be a short man, his demeanor showed that he was someone you never want as an enemy, despite walking with a slight limp and had a cane to support him. This man was Master Jack Shifu, or just Shifu (he's only called Jack when someone serious is talking to him), one of the most respected martial arts instructors in Empire City and master of Hung Kuen and the Five Animals style of Kung Fu. He was also skilled in Wing Chun and Dragon-style, but preferred to teach the styles he grew up with. Many did not like his teaching methods, however, as he was known to be very strict about even strike a student if they made one small mistake. He was still able to keep good friendship with the other martial arts instructors and others like Seth Speakman and Robert Glover. He stood in front of the

"Well done on your work in the Lab District, students . . ." The red panda praised with a smile, but it was dropped as stared hard at the group. "If you were trying to disappoint me!"

As soon as the "Five" heard this, they made a Chinese salute, then bowed as he stepped closer and pointed to each of the costumed youths.

"Your amulets grant you enchanted physical prowess, it is very fortunate that there were very few casualties."

"We can explain how the incident occurred, master." "Iron Tigress" said keeping her head low.

"Well, then, I'm listening." Shifu said, remaining monotone.

It took only a few minuets to explain how they were on patrol and saw that the "new" person calling himself Dragon had confronted a group of Nite Shadowz near a computer building owned by Wellington International. At the mention of said character gained the attention of the middle-aged red panda. After hearing the news of the bank heist with the Raptorz and that he had taken up the name of the city's fallen guardian, he was far from being pleased and thought he was insulting the "deceased" hero.

"I see, but I'm not impressed. You had the chance to take him, why didn't take it?"

"Well . . . there was one . . . complication . . ." "Brass Mantis" admitted.

"What kind of complication?"

"Devil's Trigger . . ." "Bronze Viper" spoke up.

"Devil's Trigger . . . DEVIL'S TRIGGER?! Are you all out of your minds!" Shifu demanded in a shout, which made the "Five" cringe. "He is something that is far out of your league; what possessed you all to face him?!"

"He had stolen property from Wellington International, master, we couldn't just let him get away." "Silver Crane" said in a calm voice, which seemed to quell Shifu's anger a bit. "We know we shouldn't have, but we were overconfident and were beaten, we apologize."

"Even so, how was it that he defeated you if you had your amulets on?"

"We don't know, it was as if our amulets' powers were cut-off." "Iron Tigress" replied, feeling like they were cheated out of victory.

It took another few minuets, but confirmed that they were beaten by both Dragon and Devil's Trigger and Dragon, much to Shifu's chagrin. But his distaste was forgotten when his students told him that they, Dragon, and (surprisingly enough) Devil's Trigger were able to get the civilians to safety. They even told him on how they saw Dragon covered in gold aura, which proved he was empowered by the Eternal Ember.

"I see, but what I want to know is what caused the incident." The red panda said, which made one of the "Five" shuffle uncomfortably.

"Yes, Steel, how did that happen?" "Silver Crane" asked as everyone's attention was turned to the simian of the group.

"Well . . . I may have thrown Silver's weapon at Dragon, even though I knew it wouldn't work for me." "Steel Monkey" admitted nervously. "It also may have missed him and caused a water tower to fall, which made all those cars crash."

"Well, then, congratulations . . . you almost got innocent civilians killed!" Shifu scolded. "What do you have to say for yourself?"

"I have no excuse, master, I just felt angry. Angry that we couldn't take down that alcoholic with the crossbow, angry that Dragon was bragging on his victory that he beat us, I apologize."

Shifu remained silent, but it was obvious he was in deep thought, which took several minuets.

"Was he skilled in Kung Fu?"

"Yes, I recognized two styles Wing Chun and Dragon-style Kung Fu." "Iron Tigress" replied, recalling her encounter. "I also recognized a form of Eskrima and what appeared to be . . . Jeet Kune Do."

"Jeet Kune Do?" Shifu asked in surprise. "Are you certain?"

"I am."

Again, he went silent

"Go home, it's late and you all have school tomorrow." Shifu said in dismissal.

"Yes, master." The group said as they bowed, then started to walk out of the room.

"That goes for you too, Tai Lung."

"Whatever."

From out of the corner of the room was an 18-year-old snow leopard with a large muscular body that had snowy-grey fur with black spots, short pointed ears, flat muzzle with a black flat nose, short cyan colored hair, and yellow eyes. He wore a white muscle shirt, black leather jacket, dark blue jeans that were held by a black belt, and black boots. As the name suggested, this was none other than Tai Lung, now practically a pre-adult. As of now, he was officially adopted by Shifu, making him Shifu's adopted son and, much to her disgust, Terri's brother.

"Wait, I just realized something . . ." Steel Monkey said, stopping in realization and gaining everyone's attention.

"And that would be . . ?" Shifu asked in curiosity.

". . . I FORGOT TO SAY MY CATCHPHRASE!"

Everyone gave him looks of annoyance as he moped around; what did a French naval officer have to do with fighting crime?

"Good _night_, students!" Shifu strained, urging them to leave.

As soon as he felt that all the youths were gone, he looked out a window and gazed to the starry and moonlit sky above with a sigh.

"Have you really found a replacement, Robert?" Shifu asked, his gaze switched to a picture of himself with Seth, Melissa, Robert, Amber, and a panda couple. One of which resembled an adult Po as a stray tear, which never suited his reputation, trickled down the red panda's cheek. "Fred, Yu, I'm so sorry."

* * *

Meanwhile, back at the Glover apartment, Po had returned in time to see that the disaster in the Lab District was on the news. When confronted by this, the panda revealed that he was about to stop a group of Nite Shadows from stealing a flash drive (which made Amber almost laugh). One thing led to another as Devil's Trigger appeared, which made his legal guardians worried, but glad he was still in one piece. He then went on that DT took the box, called him a poser (which led the three to believe that the thuggish avian held respect for when Robert was Dragon and the previous Furious Five), then they both bumped into the new so-called Furious Five. This caught both grizzly and mountain lioness by surprise; now there was a new Furious Five in town?! Now things were starting to get more weird than they were. Po went on that he was about to return the stolen property when he was coaxed into a fight with Iron Tigress and saw that she and her comrades had familiar neckwear.

"I'm telling you, they had the Five Animal Amulets!" Po said, still not believing what he had seen earlier. "They were even skilled on Kung Fu styles of their names (not the metal part though) and I think they Hung Kuen, I recognize some of their moves from a training book."

"Well, that sounds more than just a coincidence, what happened after that?" Robert asked.

The panda went on to explain that he had defeated Iron Tigress, the leader, which made Amber WOOT for her son-like figure. He then got to the part where Steel Monkey had thrown Silver Crane's weapon at him, which made the water tower that caused the incident fall down to the streets below.

"Wow, what a dumbass." Amber remarked with a frown.

"You have no idea." Po replied, rolling his eyes.

"Well, keep going." Robert said.

The panda went on that he, the "Five", and Devil's Trigger (surprisingly enough) had helped civilians out of danger. But what really got the couple's attention was that how he had found a girl behind a dumpster in very serious condition. At first Amber accused it to be Steel Monkey's fault, but calmed when she heard that she was there hours before the incident. However, it was a shock to hear that Po had found the same type of syringe that the Raptorz that tried to rob the bank had.

"This is quite a mystery, indeed." Robert said, rubbing his chin. "Where are they getting these syringes."

"Most likely from whoever supplied the ScaleZ with the weapons." Amber elected, yep, Po told them about that day.

"Maybe, but that's not the weird part." Po said, which gained him looks of confusion by his legal guardians. "I mean right when me and that Tigress chick got into the middle of our fight, I felt something weird, then it was like . . . well . . ."

"Like what?" Robert asked.

"Like her powers were . . . suddenly shut off, I know, it makes no sense."

"Actually, I think I know what happened."

"Really, what?" Po asked in curiosity.

"Well, though unintentionally, you released a technique known as the, '_Duo Ge Xiajing_'." Robert replied.

"_Duo Ge Xi_- . . . the _Chi Trap_?"

"Yes, it was a technique Oogway created in case any of the Furious Five abused or misused their amulets' powers. It could either block the energy from the amulets for a certain amount of time or take away their power completely."

"Really, I don't remember you ever using that when you were Dragon." Amber said, not remembering that the previous Furious Five did anything wrong with their powers, though that never meant they were one-hundred percent perfect.

"That's because there was no reason to use it." Robert replied as he then looked into the eyes of the panda with a serious stare. "Po, as Dragon you must understand that this technique is a last resort; you are never to use it unless the current Furious Five misuse their powers or responsibilities."

"I promise-wait, you seriously believe they're the Furious Five?" Po asked incredulously.

"Just as you are Dragon by accepting the responsibilities of the Eternal Ember, they are the Furious Five by accepting the responsibilities of the Five Animal Amulets. I didn't make up these rules, I only followed them, as should you all."

"Alright, I guess . . ."

"Well, with all that settled, let's eat, then hit they hey." Amber elected, which won over the two bears.

"I can get with that." Po replied.

"Ditto." Robert added.

* * *

The next day at Norris Van-Damme high it was another day to gossip, but this time it was about the recent incident in the Lab District, which occurred the night before. Three of the ones who were a part of the interest were three (separate) distinct canines: one wolf, one a wolfdog, and one a wild mutt. The wolf was six feet with an average build that had light grey fur, pointed ears and muzzle, short dark grey hair, and green eyes. He wore a plain yellow T-shirt, black short pants, and black tennis shoes. The wolfdog was about seven feet tall with an athletic build that had light-grey fur, wolf-like ears, husky-like muzzle, short light-grey hair, and yellow eyes. He had heard on the news about how Dragon, the apparently "new" Furious Five, and Devil's Trigger (surprisingly) had helped out a lot of people who were in the incident and that there were no deaths, much to his everyone else's relief.

"Well, it's good to know that everything turned out alright." The wolfdog mused, then searched for a place to eat his lunch.

The regular wolf was an average six feet tall with an average build that had grey fur, pointed ears and muzzle, short light-gray hair, and green eyes. He wore a grey long-sleeved shirt, dark-blue jeans that were held by a black belt, and brown shoes. He smiled at the news that there were no casualties in the incident, but as he took out and looked at a photo, his smile became a frown.

"At least people are doing something . . ." The wolf uttered as a tear trickled down his cheek, showing that the wolves in the photo was him with his parents and brother when they he was younger. His eyes then fell upon another student reading about the Seven Virtues; causing him to stare at the person with the book, but snap out and walked on to find a place to sit. "Sometimes I just don't get some people . . ."

The wild mutt had a nicely toned-up build that had brown fur with black stripes on his arms, pointed muzzle, floppy ears, short messy brown hair, and amber-colored eyes. He wore a white short-sleeved shirt with a black vest over it, blue jean-shorts that were held up by a black belt, black fingerless gloves, and a pair of black slip-on Vans. What was there for him to say, no one was killed, everyone got out alright; enough said.

"Yo, Will, James, wait up!" The canine called and rushed to catch up with a cougar and another wild mutt.

Strutting his way through the cafeteria was a young male raccoon who had an average build that had grey fur with black markings, pointed muzzle and ears, short raven-black hair, and brown eyes. He wore a white T-shirt, red button-up shirt that was unbuttoned, black jeans that were held up by a black belt, and black Vans. He seemed to be in his own world, but as he took a seat at an empty table, he immediately became distressed as he took out his phone and sent a text to someone.

_Maya, you, me at Sliderz Friday?_

He waited for a few minuets, but felt it was an eternity, until he had finally received a reply.

_Pik mee up at 630_

"Yes!" He yelled in glee, but sat back down before anyone could stare at him.

At their table outside were Po, Jeff, and Cynthia sitting down and enjoying the beautiful day as they ate their lunch. As they did so, the sulking form of Larry approached and plopped down upon one of the empty seats. He appeared to be an absolute mess, what with his hair being messier than usual, his facial expression made him looked fatigued as if he had trouble sleeping, and his glasses appeared t be unkept as they were dangling on his ears. This earned him looks of concerns from the three before him.

"Hey, you guys are my friends, right?" The ferret asked when he finally looked up.

"I'd think so." Jeff replied.

"Of course." Cynthia added.

"Something on your mind?" Po asked out of concern.

"Well, I know we haven't been friends for very long, but I just . . . ." Larry mumbled until he found the strength to speak. "Will you guys, please, come to a gala this Friday that's celebrating my mom's business?"

The three did nothing but stare at the ferret

"Look, I know it's weird for me to ask this, but I really need to have people to talk to since there's going to be very few people my age or want to be seen with me. But I understand, even I find it hard to believe that me mom's dating Brisbane Wellington . . ."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, back up . . . did I just hear you right?" Cynthia questioned, raising an eyebrow.

"The oldest of the Wellington siblings and current CEO of Wellington International, that Brisbane Wellington?" Po asked in sheer astonishment.

"Yeah, pretty much." Larry replied sheepishly.

The Wellington's were the founders of Wellington International and one of the richest families in North America, having several branches worldwide (hence the name International). They were known to actually be one of the very few charitable high societies as they gave back as much as their company makes in vehicles, electronics, and home improvement. They were really nice people, despite having A-List reputation. Plus, hearing that a relative of someone you know was dating someone of that caliber wasn't something you'd hear every day.

"Dude, that's awesome!" Jeff complimented, giving the ferret a pat on his shoulder. "Why didn't you tell people about this."

"Would you believed me at first?" Larry questioned, which made for an excellent point.

"Okay, you got us, but seriously, we may not have the time." Po said, though he mainly said this because he would miss his nightly patrol. "I mean, I need to know if Rob or Amber would be okay with it."

"Same thing goes with my parents." Cynthia added.

"Mine too." Jeff shrugged.

It was at that time that both the German shepherd and squirrel felt abuzz coming from their pockets, which was their cellphones. Both answered who was calling, then after a few minuets of talking, both phones were hung up and put away.

"I'm going." Cynthia simple stated. "Since WL is a sponsor to my dad's company, he was invited."

"Same thing goes for me as it turns out your mom is one of _my_ mom's clients." Jeff deadpanned, but realized that there was one missing from their group. "Sorry, Po, looks like . . ."

But before the canine could finish, a buzzing went off in one of the panda's pockets. Po held up a hand for a 'hold that thought' sign, then checked his phone. After a few seconds, the panda placed his cell back into his pocket.

"I'm going, too." Po simply said, which surprised his friends.

"Seriously, who texted?" Cynthia asked in confusion.

"Amber, because Jeff's mom invited _her_."

"Well, with that settled, I guess we should be getting ready for Friday." Larry stated, which earned him nods of approval.

Just like that, it was all decided as soon as the lunch bell rang, signaling the students to hurry to their net class. So, there were going to a celebration on Friday night, joy. But hey, at least they all knew each other, besides, he would be on patrol for one of very few night. Seriously, what's the worse that could happen?

* * *

It was late that Friday night as a black hummer drove up to the Wellington International building in all its glory. The building itself had long since changed over the years since the events from nine years earlier. It still appeared to be the same as always: one of the largest skyscrapers in all Empire City that was silver in color and had its logo in the form of a giant neon-green I and W. What had change from years ago was the security measure it has taken to prevent another disaster in any way similar to the "death" of Dragon. Long story short: it was as much upgraded in security on the outside than it was on the inside. As soon as the hummer pulled up to the valley in a line of cars and limos, the familiar form of Po climbed down from the backseat and waited for his guardians. The panda now wore a black tuxedo, which was a white long-sleeved dress shirt with a black tie, black suit jacket, black pants, and black shoes. His hair was now neatly combed and straight so that people were able to see his face. Now if he had a fedora, some black shades, and a harmonica, he'd easily pass as a blues or jazz performer. Get it? But, seriously, he was in no way the type to wear such formal wear, it just wasn't his style.

"Not as bad as I thought, but why I have to wear this is still stupid thing anyway?" Po asked himself, but shrugged none the less.

It was then that both Robert and Amber also climbed out of the hummer and wore formal clothing themselves. Rob wore the same clothing as the panda, only his jacket and pants were grey, he had a bow-tie around his neck, and he had a corsage in his right breast pocket. He also had his hair slicked back as it glistened with hair-gel. Amber had looked, to say the least, very stunning as she wore a black strapless a-line formal dress that had a tear on the right leg side and showed a little of her cleavage, she also wore white opened footed short-heeled shoes and a white rose behind her right ear. She also wore a sort of Native American feather earring on her left ear and was wearing red lipstick and dark eyeliner that radiated more beauty on the feline. She had natural beauty without any sort of cosmetics, which was better for her skin, but wearing it now really got the attention of many men around, including the valet boy. A single look from the grizzly and the ring on her wed-finger made things clear, though most weren't happy about it. Without any further delay, the three walked through the lobby and into an elevator to take them to the floor where the party was.

Walking by a pair of lions was a female albino (meaning her scales were all white) viper that appeared to be in her early twenties with a slim figure that had a sort of tattoo on her right side with tan along her muzzle and went down to her underbelly, long ivory-white hair, black eyes with yellow slit iris'. She wore a very tight red tank-top, Daisy Dukes-styled jean shorts, and black flip-flops. It would be an understatement that if any male looked her way drooled and commit suicide if she gave the command to them. After a one over on the lion couple, the snake looked around to make sure no one saw what she was about to do. She smirked as her eyes gleamed to the "rear ends" of the feline couple, then as soon as she got close enough to her intended targets . . . . Both felines gasped as they felt a firm squeeze on their "bottoms", then looked at each other lovingly as they started to make out, much to the pleasure of the viper.

"Still got it . . ." The snake giggled, then rounded a corner and vanished.

Meanwhile, on the floor of the party were Po and his guardians as they were introduced to quite a sight. People in formal wear were in deep conversation, everything was decorated in a very classy way, there was a live band playing Mozart, there was even a refreshment table with punch and several different types of entrees. Though the panda wasn't a meat-eater, he wasn't a vegan since he loved dairy and seafood (not to be confused with see food, that would be gross). Unfortunately, Po was so distracted that he failed to see where he was going and had accidentally bumped into a another partygoers. He turned to apologize, but as soon as his eyes caught sight of the person of the person he bumped into, his eyes had nearly popped out of his skull. The person was a female tabby cat that appeared to be in her early thirties with a nice womanly figure that had peach colored fur, pointed ears, flat muzzle, long hazelnut hair, and brown eyes. She wore a beautiful blue dress with a single strap on her right shoulder, a tear on the left leg part, and showed some of her cleavage. Looking at the feline would have made Po drool himself a waterfall, if not that he was in public and at a fancy gathering. He regained his composure before should noticed him being creepy.

"I am so sorry, I got distracted there for a second, are you okay?" The panda asked in concern, hoping the feline wasn't a snobbish type.

"It's fine, I was distracted too." The cat assured with a smile, much to Po's relief. "Oh, there's my friends, sorry for bumping you."

"It's cool, hey, Rob Amber, wait up!"

As soon as Po caught up, he saw that Robert was having a sort of angry-looking staring contest . . . with Commissioner Speakman! Both just stared each other down as if there were about to have an old-fashioned gunslinger draw. The atmosphere changed drastically, the mood shifted, and people stood completely still and watched in silence as the two glared at each other.

"So, you came back . . ." Seth stated monotonously.

"It's a free country; I come and go as I please . . ." Robert retorted as they both dropped into fighting position.

Po felt that he should have done something, but a look of reassurance and lack of 'bad vibes' from the Eternal Ember made it clear that there was no real danger. Still, it didn't make things any better as he saw security waiting to break up a potential fight if there was going to be one. However, instead of strikes used in martial arts or hand-to-hand combat, both grizzly and German shepherd tried to poke each other in the eye, much to everyone's confusion, which grew as the two guys started to laugh and hug each other.

"It's good to see you, man!" Seth exclaimed, taking the grizzly in a headlock and giving him a noogie.

"You too, Seth!" Robert replied, turning the tide of the headlock.

"Bravo, gentlemen, I'm glad there wasn't any unnecessary casualties."

Everyone turned to see a rough collie in his mid forties with a good build dark-brown fur with a white chest tuff and white muzzle that went down his underbelly, pointed ears, short neatly combed brown hair, and dull blue eyes. He wore a black long-sleeved dress shirt, white jacket, white tie, white pants, and white shoes. Needless to say, even at his age, this canine looked very dashing. This canine was none other than Brisbane Wellington, the oldest of the Wellington siblings, current CEO of Wellington International, and boyfriend of Shannon Windsor (Larry's mom). Next to him was a female ferret, who was also in her mid forties with a womanly figure that had dark brown fur, pointed ears and muzzle, long raven-black hair in a ponytail, and light-red eyes. She wore an elegant red dress, grey high-heeled shoes, and golden hoop earring on both ears. This person was Larry's mother herself, Shannon Windsor. Next to her was her son Larry with Jeff approaching from the opposite side.

Larry, Jeff, as well as Seth all wore black suits as formal wear and Melissa was dressed in a lovely green dress with straps over the shoulders. Like Amber, Melissa wore a little make-up that seemed to brighten her up (In more ways than one).

"Jeff, man, what's up?" Po

"Nothing much, but I can tell you this: getting use to these clothes isn't easy." The German shepherd replied, trying to adjust his collar.

"Guys, you don't know how much I'm glad that you're here." Larry sighed, walking up to the two.

"so, these are the two friend's I've heard about." Brisbane spoke up as he approached the three.

"Yeah, Brisbane, this Po and Jeff."

The collie held out his hand, which Jeff calmly shook it, but as it went to Po, the panda only stood there for a few minuets.

"Oh, y-you want me to-okay." Po stuttered, then shook the canine's hand

"Son of Commissioner Speakman, I know because my daughter and son have the same martial arts teacher."

"The three of them are certainly the best students I've taught."

The next to approach were two rabbits, one elderly, the other middle-age, both male. Both had dark brown fur, long pointed ears, short salt and peppered colored hair (which was in a bowl-cut for the elderly one), and brown eyes. They too wore formal suits for the evening, but were brown in color. These two were none other than Sensei Edward Parker Sr. and Jr, but most knew them as Ed and Eddy, who were a father and son owner of the Kempo Karate school in Empire City and instructors to both Jeff and Seth, Cynthia, and (as mentioned before) the children of Brisbane Wellington. As the elder Parker was a known mentor for Seth, Eddy was a good friend of Robert since he was in the same College fraternity as Robert and Fred Ping. Needless to say, they were good faces to see.

"Sensei!" Jeff said as he bowed and hugged the elderly rabbit.

"Eddy, it's good to see you man!" Robert exclaimed as he bear-hugged (drum beat) his old friend, which was returned in full. "So, what up, how's life been treating you?"

"It's been treating me good." The Lagomorph replied, giving his friend a little nudge. "But enough about me, what about you, you guys just get back?"

"Well, since you guys are catching up, why don't I take Jeff and Larry to the refreshment table?" Po elected then started to walk to said table with both German shepherd and ferret in tow. "And I promise I won't eat every single thing I see . . . _Amber_."

This made the grown-ups break out in laughter and the mountain lioness huff at the comment from the panda.

"I hope you enjoy yourselves!" Brisbane called as they walked away.

It took no time, even with all the patrons walking about, as the three made it to the buffet table, and what a sight to behold it was. There were many culture types of food from Italian to Vietnamese, making it clear that it was a multicultural buffet; Po liked Brisbane's style. There were shrimp wraps, crab cakes, and many more as appetizers. But, first things first, they needed to quench their thirst and walked up to the punch bowl.

"Hey, guys, think you can hand me a cup?"

The three turned to see that Cynthia had also arrived, but as soon as they saw her, their jaws nearly dropped to the floor. The squirrel wore am elegant blue dress with a single strap over her right shoulder, silver high-heeled shoes, and silver earrings on both ears. Her hair was tied in two ponytails, had some blush on her cheeks, eyeliner to give her eyes a little depth, and red lipstick to brighten her lips. If she was pretty before, she was beautiful now! Evidence pointed to how the three, and others their age, were staring at her.

"Hello, guys, my punch?" Cynthia asked, which snapped them out of their trance.

"Oh, Right." Larry said pouring the red artificial-flavored liquid into a plastic cup, handed it to the squirrel. "Here you go."

"Thanks, Larry."

"Wow, Cynthia, look at you." Po said, giving her a one over. "There's just something about this look that tells me, "set phasers to stun"."

"Thanks, but I think someone else needs to be beamed up Scotty." Cynthia retorted, pointing to the still entranced German shepherd.

"I'll say . . . come on, Jeff, time to wake up."

"Wha-Oh yeah, sorry 'bout that." Jeff murmured sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head. "Hey, Sensei's here, you wanna, you know, see him with me."

"I would like that actually." Cynthia replied with a smile as she took the canine's arm as he led her the way.

"Say, are they a couple of sort?" Larry asked out of curiosity.

"No, but I wish Jeff would make his move already." Po remarked, but noticed that the ferret had gone quiet and saw that his face was riddled in fear. "Larry, what's wrong, you look like you've seen a ghost."

"He certainly does, but I see something that's much more shocking."

Po knew that tone of voice anywhere, then turned to see the tall figure of Tai Lung, who was still slightly taller than him. He wore a white long-sleeve dress shirt, grey suit jacket, grey pants, had his hair in a ponytail, and black shoes. The snow leopard stared smugly at the panda and was hoping that he would be just as scared as the ferret was, but he wasn't. Now normally, Po would be shrinking from the sight of Tai Lung, but he had been away long enough to be afraid of people like him. Because that's all he was, just another person trying to show how tough he was

"Well, well, well, if it isn't my favorite punching bag." Tai Lung said, the motioned for Larry to leave. "Beat it, Windsor, this doesn't concern you."

Larry was about to say something, but was stopped by his panda friend.

"It's alright, Larry, I'll handle this" Po assured with a smile.

Though the ferret was skeptical, he slowly backed away, then vanished into the crowd. So here he was, the panda was left alone with the very person who had tormented him when they were children. Apparently, as said by Markus, the feline was just as bad now as he was then, the only difference now was that they were both very close to adult hood. Po saw that the snow leopard was trying very hard to be

"Should have told me you were back, Ping, I would have welcomed you for lost ground." Tai Lung said, stepping up into the panda. "Only now, if that old fart of a foster dad gets in my way, I'll bust his ass like I'll do yours."

"Really, you, against Robert, that's a laugh." Po retorted as he tipped over a cup of punch (which wasn't his), then took a sip of his own. "Man, this is some good punch."

Then without any warning, Po lurched forward and crashed into Tai Lung. As he did, the punch from his cup had slashed onto the feline's shirt and jacket. Though it had appeared to be an accident, it was actually an elaborate plan made by the panda the moment his childhood bully confronted him.

"Argh, what the hell, man!"

"Oh, I am so sorry, here, let me get that for you!"

With that said, the panda began to rub the snow leopard's stained shirt with a rag, which made the liquid spread.

"Hey, what're you -" Tai Lung began.

"Just doing my job." Po replied.

More rubbing.

"You're making it . . ."

"Almost there . . ."

More rubbing.

"I can clean myself . . ."

"You're not a barbarian!"

More rubbing-

"STOP TOUCHING ME!"

Hearing the shout from the feline gained the attention of the other patrons, who stared at Tai lung in bewilderment.

"No need to shout." Po calmly stated as if it weren't a big thing.

"I'll show you-"

"What's happened here?"

The two turned to see the form of Jack Shifu standing there and looking at the two with stern eyes. The panda, with all his might, tried to restrain himself from scowling at the red panda. Fortunately for him, he managed to keep a straight face, despite feeling as though he should really stick it to him [Shifu]. What was he doing here? How did he know any of the Wellingtons? Well, whatever the unlikely reason was, he was here now and Po saw that as a bad sign.

"What, I slipped, my punch spilled on his shirt and I tried to clean it up, but then he started shouting." Po calmly explained without missing a beat. "It's really not that complicated."

"That's a lie, Master, he deliberately spilled just to bug me!" Tai Lung accused, hoping the panda would get in trouble.

"If he did it deliberately, then why is there punch on the floor?" Shifu asked, pointing to a small puddle of punch on the floor.

"Oh, so there is, but-"

"Go to the restroom and clean yourself up."

Not the one to disobey an order from his teacher, Tai Lung bowed and walked to the nearest restroom, but not before sending the panda a death glare. Po merely waved goodbye as he felt that the snow leopard deserved a worse fate that. The down side was that he was left with one of the very last people he ever wanted to see. Sneaking away was far out of the question since the red panda's eyes quickly went back to him and stared at him emotionlessly.

"So, you've come back." Shifu deduced, if it weren't obvious enough.

"So I have, is there a problem with that?" Po retorted, keeping a calm posture.

"I'll be the one handling the questions."

This led to an awkward silence between the two as they stared each other down as if they were waiting for something to happen.

"I should hope you've leaned discipline over the years you've been gone." Shifu stated in one of his most coldest voices. "If they were alive to see you in such poor form, they'd . . ."

"Don't you ever talk about my parents to me as if you knew them better." Po snarled, pointing right in right into the red panda's face. "You may have been their "friend", but that doesn't give you the right to tell me how to live like your own personal slave."

This statement didn't seem to budge the red panda, but Po knew he made an impact, though the older male didn't show it.

"Excuse me, I need some air."

With that said, the panda made his way out to the balcony. If he'd turned to look back at the red panda (which wasn't an option since it'd have to involve _looking_ at him), he would have seen that his eyes were filled with sadness and one stray tear at what was said to him, yet no one noticed. Unbeknownst to everyone else, Po had also caught the attention of another patron of the crowd. After making sure the youth was completely alone, the patron was quick to follow him onto the balcony.

* * *

After finding himself outside on the balcony, chuckling at the thought of spilling his punch (wishing he could give a real one square in the jaw) on the snow leopard still fresh in his head, Po looked out towards the city in moonlight. God, it was so beautiful that it almost caused the panda to well up with tears. Everything seemed to freeze in time as the moon was shinning its glory . . . wait a minuet . . . did that helicopter in the sky just stop in the middle of the sky or was it his imagination? At the same time, Po turned around and noticed that the music inside had suddenly stopped. At first he thought that the band had stopped to take a small break, but since when does any band stop right when they're near the middle of they performance? Also, why did everyone stop talking? They weren't asleep (despite how boring the conversation), because they were standing upright and there eyes were wide open . . .

"My, such a lovely sight."

Po spun around, then froze in surprise. Standing there was a beautiful female adult rough collie wearing an elegant white dress that suited her for the evening. She had a nice womanly figure that had light-brown fur, pointed ears and muzzle, long hazelnut-brown hair, and dazzling blue eyes. If you were a guy, you couldn't help but stare at the supreme beauty that this canine

_Wow, she's beautiful._ The panda though as a blush came over his cheek, then noticed something familiar about the canine; she almost looked like Brisbane . . . well, if he were a woman, which he wasn't.

"Um . . . hi, I'm Po." Po introduced himself sheepishly, not knowing what else to do.

"Nice to meet you, Po, I'm Annie." The collie bowed with a smile.

"Uh . . . Are you a relative of the Wellingtons . . ?"

"Hmm . . . maybe, why do you ask?"

"Well, no offense since you a rough collie, but you almost look like Brisbane in there." Po said, adjusting his collar. "Are you a distant relative, because, again no offense, but you look a little young to be Diane Wellington . . . mostly because I just saw her inside a few minuets ago."

"Well . . . you could say I a "close" relative . . ."

Something was off here . . . and it wasn't because there was a lovely woman talking to _him_, of all people. No, there was something else, something much more . . . unnatural. For one thing: where did all the sound go? Secondly: why hasn't he seen the other patrons move from their places to get punch or go use the restroom or . . . anything. Third and most importantly: Who was this woman and how did she appear next to him without setting off the Eternal Ember? Was he really so bored that he began to see and hear things that weren't really there? Could it be he was having a moon stroke? Also, why did the Eternal Ember wait until just now to give him danger warnings? He was snapped out of his thoughts when he felt a hand on his shoulder and saw that the collie was right next to him and gave him a pleasant smile. She the leaned over to his left ear and whispered something he'd never expect . . .

"If I might say, it's a real honor to meet you . . . Dragon . . ."

* * *

To Be Continued: Changes Pt. 3: Because we gotta!

* * *

**(Mysterious dramatic music) DUH! Duh! Duh! Duh! Duuuuuuuuuuh! And that was chap 10, hope it was enough to satisfy. To AnthroLover, Shen's general, and Benjamin King, congrats now that your ideas are now characters. As everyone now sees, this chap debuts a member of the Wellington family, Brisbane Wellington, who is the oldest of the four siblings and current CEO of Wellington International. Well, hope you all enjoyed. A side note, some heroes won't have cameos, but they will be alluded, like some characters in this chap. Pleased stay tuned for more, there will be on the way. Until then, this if King of 2211, signing off.**

**P.S.**

**I apologize for taking long and that it's just a filler and if it makes no sense, but I hope it satisfies.**


	13. Changes Pt 3: Because we gotta!

**It has begun! The next chap in Dragon is here! I apologize if this took long to get up and I sincerely hope that you enjoy this like you did the other chaps. Between working and the heat, plus the announcements from E3, it's very easy to get distracted or off topic. You know what is owned by who and what isn't, so there! Well then, with that settled, on with the show! **

* * *

Chapter 11: Changes Pt. 3: Because we gotta!

* * *

Hearing what the collie had just said to him made Po jump back and ready himself in a fighting position. Was he hearing things? No, It sounded way too sincere the way she said it. This was no coincidence, far from it, she actually knew who he was by the look in her eyes. But then, how'd she find out? He made sure he was in secure/isolated areas so that no one would spot him when he changed in and out of his suit. Whatever the reason was, it didn't matter at the moment, but what did matter was learning who this canine was, where she came from, and how she knew about both of his identities. Though it was odd that the Eternal Ember wasn't reacting to her, something was setting off its trigger, but it apparently didn't see the collie as a hostile.

"Who are you and how do you know who I am?" The panda demanded, ready to use the Eternal Ember if necessary.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I must have gone ahead of myself." "Annie" said as she fixed herself up and slowly tried to approach the now alerted panda, but with each step she took, he took more back. "Please, there's no need for violence, I'm not here to hurt you."

"That's what they all say!"

"Please, you have to believe me, I'm not here to fight _anyone_."

Po remained on his toes as his eyes met the collie's and saw that they were filled with a look of pleading and hope. This softened his hard facial features, but kept up his guard none-the-less as he didn't trust this odd woman, not by a long-shot. This was just too weird for him to swallow, speaking of which, it so happened that he was in dire need of a spot of liquid refreshment.

"This is too weird for me, I need a drink." Po stated as he rushed back into the party and straight towards the punch bowl.

After pouring the red artificial liquid into the paper cup, which seemed to have been the only things that could move, the panda looked around and saw that everything was still frozen in place. It had felt that it was as if everything had suddenly gotten a "pause play"and he was the only one unaffected by whatever was going on. One thing that bugged him was that the collie was also unaffected by the sudden "time freeze" just as he was. Was he dreaming? Maybe . . .

"Ow!"

Okay . . . not dreaming . . . punching yourself in the gut that hard was probably, scratch that, wasn't at all the way to prove he was awake.

"Ooh, that looked very panful, are you alright?"

"Yeah, I'll be fi . . ." Po was about to say, but stopped himself when he realized everyone was still "frozen"! "Who said that?!"

"I did."

Po turned to see who had spoken and immediately saw that it was an elderly male blackbuck. He stood about three in a half-foot tall with an average build that had dull grey fur (that was lighter on his muzzle and went down to his under bell), long dark green spiral horns, salt and peppered colored hair, and hazelnut eyes. He wore what appeared to be a black zoot suit, which was a white long-sleeved dress shirt with a green tie, black suit jacket, black pants that went above his waist with suspenders over the dress shirt, a long golden chain that hung from the right side of his pants, brown leather shoes, and a large black fedora with a white line and long brown feather that stuck out on the left side. Needless to say, this guy looked like a nice old man, but was due back to the 40's as the panda couldn't help but stare at the old goat (pun not intended).

"Um . . . Who're you?" Po asked, trying not to be distracted by the clothing the person was wearing.

"Ah, who indeed, who is anyone these days?" The blackbuck mused in ignorant bliss. "But to answer your question, you may call me Yao, not as in "yow that hurt", but Y-A-O."

"Okay . . . Yao . . . where'd you come from and how come you're the only one, besides me, who can move?"

"Another excellent question, but maybe the question isn't why we're moving fast, but maybe we're moving very quickly and everyone else is moving at a less quick pace."

Before the panda could question the elderly goat, he saw that it was just that, everyone was just moving really, really slow. It was almost as if he were in the middle of those slow-motion sequences they have in action movies were they usually have gunfights, explosions, and all that stuff. He could even reach out and touch someone, but decided against it' who knows what would happen if he did. It was then that his eyes fell upon quite the sight; Shifu's students were there as well! What really got his attention were a certain tiger and snake, Terri and Vicky! He really wished that whatever set off the Eternal Ember was those two, but alas, they weren't a threat. Though the Eternal Ember, despite it not even being danger-related, did seem to have an odd reaction to the five for some reason.

But when he saw Terri, he failed to keep himself from laughing his lungs out, but let it out since everyone was moving slow. Terri Hue, the temperamental Amazon queen of Norris Van-Damme High School and one of the top martial arts champions, was wearing a dress! It was mostly black with red highlights and frills on the shoulders. Vicky, however, wore a nice lime-green strapless dress that matched her eyes and scales. Both wore slip-on shoes, Terri's being black and Vicky's being white. Though the panda would never, in all his life and would sooner hang himself if he ever said it aloud, but they looked . . . the looked . . . _beautiful_. There, it was said and done; moving on.

Close to them was a female vixen, who appeared to be the same age as Vicky. She had a very womanly figure with orang fur (excluding her hands, feet, and the white tip of her bushy tail), pointed ears and muzzle, long brown hair that was tied in two pigtails, and blue eyes. She wore a lovely lavender dress with frilled shoulders, make-up that brightened her facial features (though it was obvious she'd look a lot better with that stuff), and white low-heeled shoes. The panda recognized her as Sakura Nakamura from homeroom at Norris Van-Damme, but who could forget a person like her since she has a way with negotiating with people. How was she here, maybe her parents knew the Wellingtons or had connection, hard to tell.

"Okay, punch didn't work, everything is still freaky." Po stated.

"You want to know what else is freaky?" Yao spoke up, suddenly appearing beside the panda, then pointed back out towards the balcony. "That."

Po turned to where the goat was pointing and became shocked by what he saw. It was him or he or another him or . . . whatever! It was another Po as if he were cloned (dare to dream) because Po saw himself (or at least another panda that look exactly like him, which was most unlikely) was looking over the city right where _he_ was previously. Po ran back outside out to the balcony ad after a one over of the panda, there was no mistake; this was Po! But that was impossible! He was Po! He even had the birth certificate to prove it! What was going on? Did someone spike the punch? Wait, he already asked all of that jazz . . . Was he just plainly losing his marbles?

"Yao, it's nice to see you this fine evening."

"Annie, as lovely as ever I see."

The panda turned to see the blackbuck giving the mysterious collie a kiss on her hand as if he were a regal gentleman.

"Have you come for the party as well?" Yao asked with a pleasant smile.

"I wish, but sadly not." "Annie" replied as her gazed went to the young panda. "Actually, I have something to discuss with young Po; he is the new Dragon after all."

"Is he now? Well, that certainly sounds like a reasonable discussion, indeed."

"Yeah, it would be appreciated if you didn't go telling every single stranger of my alter ego." Po sarcastically remarked, then shook his head. "Now I know I've lost it."

"You haven't lost anything, but I really need to talk with you; it's urgent." The collie pleaded once more, looking at the panda with those soft blue eyes that he couldn't resist.

"I'd listen if I were you, even though you're not me and I'm not you." Yao whispered, suddenly appearing beside the panda. "She can be very . . . '_insightful_'."

Po looked between the goat and the canine, who was still looking at him pleadingly with her two gentle blue orbs in her face. After a few minuets of looking back and forth between these two, the panda finally broke and exhaled a loud sigh. Alright, he'll talk, but that didn't means he's let his guard down, despite these two showing that they mean no harm. He just hope he wouldn't soon regret; that's the last thing he'd ever want.

"Fine, God knows why, I'll listen to what you have to say." Po exasperated as he fixed himself up. "No funny business, I am skilled in like four different Martial Arts."

"I can tell, you need not worry, we're not the ones that are in danger." "Annie" replied, though her giggles were somewhat heartwarming, it became serious almost instantly.

"Besides, our funny business would have nothing compared to the way you spilled punch on that snow leopard lad." Yao quipped, to which brought a chuckle to the panda.

"Classic, but seriously, I think I heard you said danger." Po said, turning to the collie. "What did you mean by that?"

"I'm sure the Eternal Ember, and yes, I know about how it works, is telling you that something isn't right." "Annie" replied nostalgically as she placed an index finger on his forehead. "There's a group of members from one of the gangs approaching, though there are others, you are the one that needs to come to everyone's aid."

Instead of replying, Po just stood there as his eyes began to glow and filled with images of various battles from the previous Dragon. Everything came to a halt as soon as he saw a group of people approaching the party. Though the panda couldn't tell which gang they were from, he knew these thugs meant business if they were carrying guns. Automatic guns to say in the least! It was official, Dragon was needed now if anything else! But, how would he be able to do his thing is everything was all . . . psychological?

"_Uno problema Senorita_ Annie: how am I suppose to do anything if everything is like . . . well . . . this?" Po asked gesturing to their surroundings, which was still in "pause mode".

"Not a problem, just touch your shoulder." "Annie" replied, gesturing to the "other Po" and placed a handkerchief in one of his breast pockets. "And yes, this panda is you, just remember, nothing is _amiss_ if you put your _mind_ to it."

The panda looked between the collie (who smiled reassuringly), goat (who nodded approvingly), and frozen panda (who still did nothing), then slowly placed a hand on his "other self's" shoulder. As soon as he did, everything started to flash colors that were so bright that it made Po clench his eyes shut. He waited a few minuets, then finally opened his eyes and saw that he was leaning over the balcony like he was a few minuets ago. He looked around to see that everything was back in place and moving once more, the helicopter was moving in the sky, cars were driving up and down the streets below, he could even hear the people talking and the music back in the party. Maybe it was all a dream, but it was very unlikely; it just felt so real. It was then that he looked down to one of his pockets and saw that there was a white cloth poking out . . . a handkerchief! Okay, now that was freaky. Well, maybe it wouldn't hurt just to check up. Walking back into the building, the panda asked a security guard for directions to the restrooms. What he saw were things that were odd to find in any restroom in a building like this: a coloring book (most likely from a little kid), three books (one of Greek mythology, one of Scottish lore, and one of zodiac horoscopes), and a plastic toy skeleton. He shook his head when he realized he was getting sidetracked. After receiving directions, Po made himself look casual as he entered the Men's room and made sure that he was alone. After securing his surroundings, the panda performed a Tai Chi form as he was engulfed in a bright golden light.

* * *

Down the hall was a group of at least twenty-seven people made their way down the hall on the 20th floor of the Wellington International building, which was the same floor as the party. Meanwhile, in said party, everything had gone silent as the patrons stared at the kneeling form of Brisbane Wellington. In front of him was Shannon as the canine presented her with a lavish diamond ring. This could mean one thing: this was an engagement party! It was certainly a surprise to everyone around, but even more so to Larry since he was Shannon's son.

"Shannon Windsor, will you marry me?" The collie asked in a tone one would hear from a true love.

The middle-aged weasel stood in shock for what seemed to be an eternity around her. This was all so sudden, what with them dating for only three months, but he showed multiple times that he truly cared for her. She knew all too well that she would have to find love again after the death of her husband, despite missing him with all her heart. She just didn't count on the fact that it would be the rich idealist that was Brisbane Wellington. At first she thought he was nothing but an over-egotistical playboy that had hoped to get into her pants, but soon got to know him and saw that he had a heart of gold. She loved him so much and wanted to spend the rest of her older life with him, so it was unanimous. She was worried about one thing though, what of their children? She knew they would need time to cope with the having a step parent. She also hoped Larry would understand, He was the only thing she had in this life, he meant the entire galaxy to her.

". . . Yes . . . Yes, I will!" Shannon squealed, taking the canine in a hug.

Everyone around applauded for the two, but sadly, things were as far from perfect as Pluto was from the sun.

SHOOT

Everyone screamed as they heard the sound of a firing gun, which came from the entrance of the party. There, with automatic guns in hand, were members of the Nite Shadowz (evident by the logos on their shirts and jackets), who were also wearing helmets that resembles black skulls (not to be confused with one of their rival gangs).

"Good evening, partygoers, I hope we're not interrupting anything important." A NS (abbreviated for Nite Shadowz, not to be confused with North and South) member said in a fake sincere tone. "As a matter of fact, we are tonight's entertainment."

No one dared made a sudden move as the NS members started to swarm in and mingle as if they were invited.

"Alright, listen up, this is what's going to go down: No one leaves, no one makes any sudden moves, and everyone does what I say, how I say, when I say. Failure to comply is death by "firing squad". Words of advice: don't be stupid and you'll live. Now, if you'd all be as kind as to place any valuables into the bags that are being passed out, it would be most appreciated."

"We wont be intimidated by lowlife thugs like you!" A male mouse in his late-twenties stated, stepping forward.

He was about five feet tall with an athletic build that had golden fur, short blonde hair, long fleshy tail, squinted muzzle, rounded ears, and black eyes. He wore a white dress-shirt with a black bow-tie, grey suit jacket with a corsage in the right breast pocket, grey pants, and brown leather shoes. The NS member merely gobbled two shrimp puffs, guzzled down three glasses of champagne, then slowly but intimidating approached the rodent.

"You know, you remind me of my father." He said calmly, before grabbing the mouse by the head and pulling out a knife. "I hate my father!"

Everyone, including the other Nite Shadowz members, waited for blood to be spewing all over the floor, but it never came as their leader (not the leader of the entire gang mind you) released the rodent.

"But you're not my father, so I'll cut you a break this one time." He stated as he turned around, but kicked the mouse to the floor, then turned back towards the other patrons. "Now, about placing your valuables in the bags as I suggested."

As so, bags were passed out from person to person as everyone complied to the order that was given to them. Most people, including a certain few, wished they could give these dirt bags what they truly deserved, but held back as they knew it'd be too risky. Though most were focused on the situation at hand, a certain grizzly and mountain lioness as well as German shepherd wondered about a certain young panda that was suspiciously missing, though there was another that wasn't present. Was he caught by one of these goons? They knew he could handle himself well enough, but not against a gun; that would be a fatal mistake.

"Rob, where's Po?" Amber asked in concern.

"Not sure, but I hope he knows what's happening and getting to "work" on this." Robert replied, though feeling just as concern, but knew that his adopted son would "get into action".

"Well, look who it is!" The lead NS member spoke up as he approached Seth. "Commissioner Speakman, not so tough with so little reinforcements, aren't you?"

With that said, he punched the German shepherd in the gut, then elbowed him in the back as the canine fell to the floor.

"Seth!" Melissa cried as she rushed to her husband's side.

"Dad!" Jeff shouted appearing to the other side of his father.

"I'm fine, really, I've been through worse . . ." Seth grunted as he was helped up and glared at the thug with the gun. "Besides, he hits like a girl."

"Speaking of girls . . ."

The lead NS member took off his helmet to show that he was a bat in his early thirties with grey fur, pointed ears, short black hair, spade-like muzzle, and green eyes, which happen to fall upon a certain mountain feline. It only took a few minuets to realize it when Amber found out this lowlife was looking in her direction. Truth be told (though she'd never admit it aloud), this guy would have been a dreamboat if he weren't part of a lowlife gang, but her Robert was a billion (if not trillion) times the man this guy'll ever be. The bat, much to the mountain lioness, began to check her up and down as he walked around her. The last straw was when one of his hands found its way to her bottom, which earned the thugs a slap across the face.

"Ooh, got a little fight in ya, I like that." The bat said lustfully.

"Then you're gonna love me."

The bat was then sent down to the floor painfully as a fist smashed against his chest with lightning fast speed. Everyone looked to Amber and saw the familiar form of Dragon standing there in all of his glory.

"Good evening, patrons of the party of Brisbane Wellington! For those who don't know who I am, you can call me Dragon! Just though you'd all prefer better entertainment. In other words: it's party time! P-A-R-T, why? Because we gotta!"

With that said, a few NS members rushed at him, but were easily subdued with a few punches and a few kicks. It was then he remembered that some of these people were skilled in hand-to-hand combat, though there were some he disliked with a passion. His eyes then fell upon the male Speakmans and Cynthia and remembered that they were good with some of the weapons that he held. His gaze went to Robert, who nodded in approval for some strange reason or other.

"Just letting you guys know, I'm only _lending_ these to you!" Dragon stated as he took out his weapons.

He threw both of his Eskrima Arnis Kali stick to both Speakmans, threw his staff (which he had extended and locked in place) to Cynthia, and threw one pair of his nunchucks to Robert. It took no time at all for the ones with the weapons to take care of the goons with the weapons, allowing the unarmed to partake in the fight. Seth blocked a swing to the head and struck back as he gave thrust with the Eskrima stick he had to the goon's gut, then punched his lights out. Jeff struck at one of the NS at the knee, making him buckle down, then finish him off with a left round kick. Cynthia spun around with the staff in her hands, striking (with both staff and kicks) each NS that cam her way. Dragon and Robert were having a field day using the nunchucks, swinging and swatting at any unlucky NS that rushed at them. Both went from using one pair to both as one would use the nunchucks while the other one fought empty-handed. The same thing went for the Speakmans as they also one or both (regular or reverse grip) Eskrima against their foes. It wasn't too long as Amber, Ed, Eddie, Shifu and his student's (minus Tai Lung for some reason), Mei Ling (who was obviously invited by Calvin), even some of the police that were invited also took part. It seemed that the NS members were beaten, but then the bat from appeared from behind a young collie boy, who appeared no older than eleven. This was young George Wellington, one of Brisbane's two children and only son, who was now being held hostage by the NS member.

"George!" Brisbane cried out.

"Get back or the brat gets sliced!" The now manic bat shouted, threatening the collie with a knife.

"You leave my brother alone!"

Everyone saw a young collie girl who appeared to be no younger that the age of six as she kicked at the bat's leg. This cute little girl was Carrie Wellington, the second child and only daughter of Brisbane. Dragon noticed that the bat's guard was down and took quick advantage of it as he spun his nunchucks very fast then threw them in the air. The flail-like weapon flew in the air like propellers on a helicopter until it zoomed in on its target, which was on the back of the bat's knee, causing him to buckle down and release his hold on George. The collie boy, angered that this jerkwad wanted to cut him, took up the nunchucks from the floor and gave the bat a hard swat across his face. Both collie siblings made a run for it as the bat slowly tried to stand up, then felt a firm grip on his shoulder and turned to see the angry glare of Brisbane Wellington.

"This is for trying to hurt my son, you bastard!" The collie shouted, punched the bat in the gut, then finished him with a head-butt.

It had happened once again, one of the gangs of Empire City were defeated by not only Dragon, but also by ordinary citizen and the CEO of a huge corporation. It took only a few minuets for the security team to arrive and call the police. Apparently most of the security downstairs, along with other employees and patrons, were unconscious, while the rest were locked up in other rooms in the building; making it impossible for anyone to get to the party in time. After sweeping the area of the Nite Shadowz, the head of security, who was a Doberman pinscher, began to question Dragon before the her could make an escape.

"That's enough, leave him alone!" Brisbane spoke up walking between his head of security and the costumed hero. "If he hadn't arrived, God knows what could have happened."

"Sorry, sir, just priority." The Doberman replied.

"I'll take things over from here, just make sure that everyone else is alright."

The canine saluted the collie, then walked away, leaving Dragon with Brisbane, along with George and Carrie. Both canines of which were staring stars at him.

"Listen, I don't know how you found out what was happening here . . ." Brisbane began.

"Sir, I swear, I had no intention of causing more . . ." Dragon tried to say, but stopped when the collie held up a hand.

"Let me finish. I don't know how you found out, but it was very fortunate that you arrived. As a man I could grateful I am of your aid, but as a father, I cannot thank you enough for what you've done. I guess there's only this to say: thank you."

"Thank you for helping my brother." Carrie said, giving the hero a hug around his waist.

"You're welcome, but it was very dangerous when you tried to fight that bad man, leave it to the pros." Dragon replied, to which the collie girl nodded.

"Can you sign my journal?" George innocently asked as he took out a small booklet from the backpack he had.

"Sure thing."

"Seems you've gotten popular with those two."

This made Dragon freeze up as if he were caught in a snow storm during a blizzard on Pluto. He slowly turned around from the collie boy after signing both his and his sister's names on the booklet and came face to face with none other than Seth Speakman! Okay, so now the Police Commissioner, who was in charge of mostly every law enforcement (excluding building and private security) in Empire City, stood only two feet away. No need for panicking . . . okay, that was a big fat lie . . . it was a _perfect_ time to panic! What if he was feeling like slapping some cuffs on his wrists because, despite helping out around the city, the _ipso facto_ truth was that he was a vigilante. A person who takes the law into their own hands, plus, he had taken up the name of the city's most beloved _deceased_ guardian. Who's to say Seth wasn't steaming about all of that?

"Well, now that that's settled, I think it's time we've had a little talk." The Commissioner stated, then motioned to the collie. "If it's alright with you, Mr. Wellington, I'd like a few words with this guy."

"Alright, but please, don't do anything drastic." Brisbane pleaded. "He was trying to help, you know."

"I know."

Carrie gave the hero one last hug before walking away with her father and brother. Dragon, despite questioning if Brisbane bringing his children to the party was smart (but then, who would know there would be an attack), couldn't help but feel relieve that he was able stop these thugs from harming innocent lives. The calm feeling then turned to ire as he saw Shifu and his Five students approach and observed smugly, perhaps hoping the German shepherd would arrest him.

"Okay, one and that's it: were you the guy who took down the ScaleZ weeks ago?" Seth asked, to which brought the hero back to his senses.

"Well . .. okay, yes, it was me." Dragon confessed. "Look, I'm sorry if I . . ."

"What's there to be sorry for? The weapons were retrieved; the ScaleZ are behind bars; Lidong's been elusive, despite his size and weight. I'm trying to congratulate you."

"I knew it! Before anything else, can I at least . . . wait, did you just say, "congratulate" me? You're not pissed that I was trying to do your job?"

"Pissed? We've tried to nab scum like the ScaleZ for years even when they were minor. Besides, with the weapons they had, it would've taken the United Sates _Military_ to stop them."

"Oh, well then, you're welcome."

"In fact, maybe you can be a valuable ally to the Force." The canine said with a smile.

"Okay, here's the thing . . . what?!" Dragon question in surprised.

"What?!" Went Robert and Amber.

"What?!" Went Po's friends.

"What?!" Went Shifu's students, plus Mei Ling.

"What?!" Went Shifu.

"What went?!" Went the present cops.

Was this guy for real? He actually considered him to be an ally? Well yeah, he was helping out with all the thugs in the city, but he was still a vigilante! But still, Seth had good judgement with people and had a supreme sense of right and wrong.

"You really mean that?" Dragon asked slowly and carefully. "I mean, for reals?"

"Yes, for reals, if anything, you're just thing person to protect the city just as the other Dragon (and yes, I know you're not the other guy)." Seth replied, then turned serious. "But of course, you'll have to prove your worth and earn that title, so I expect you to pull your own weight."

"Yes, sir, I will!"

"Excuse me, Seth, I have issues with this!" Shifu spoke up as he approached the two. "I know you mean well and have the best interests of Empire City at heart, but I must protest about putting trust this so-called "hero"."

"Well, too bad, I've made my decision." Seth shot back, obviously not in the mood to be arguing, then turned back and noticed a news helicopter approaching outside, which turned his gaze towards Dragon. "But unless you're a fan of paparazzi, I highly suggest you get a move on."

"Right, now you see me, now you don't!" Dragon stated, performing a Tai Chi form as he began to glow brightly, then vanished as the light died down.

Everyone looked around to see if there was still a sign of Dragon, but said hero had seemed to have vanished completely. Jeff, however, caught a glimpse of a figure rushing into the hallway and slowly began to follow. Without anyone seeing him, the German shepherd snuck down the hallway, then stopped as he saw Dragon (still in the building) looking around as if looking for something. Noticing that he was right outside the men's restroom, he made sure not to make any sudden looks or sounds to alert the hero to his [Jeff's] Location. Hearing the hero's footsteps approaching down the hall towards the restroom, Jeff snuck into one of the stalls and stood on the toilet rims, he did not, for as long as he lived, want to touch the water in it. Hearing the hero enter the restroom, the German shepherd made sure to slow down his breathing as he watched Dragon make sure there was no one else looking. It was at that very moment that the hero took of his mask, causing Jeff to silently gasp to who it was.

* * *

Back in the men's restroom, down the hall from the party, was Dragon as he took off his mask to reveal the head of the panda that was Po Ping. It took him a few minuets to make sure there was no one else around to see him, but as soon as he was sure he was in the clear, he performed another Tai Chi form. His body began to glow brightly after a few minuets, but died down to reveal Po in his formal clothing as he was the entire night. What he didn't expect to hear in the least was the sound of someone clapping slowly. He whirled around to see the form of Jeff coming out of one of the stalls!

"Well, this is a coincidence." The German shepherd said calmly, yet sarcastically.

"Uh . . . there's no way I can get out of this . . . is there?" Po asked nervously.

"Not really, so I'd start explaining if I were you."

* * *

Meanwhile, at Tower Med hospital (which was a hospital near the monorail on the east side of Empire City), in a room unlike the rest, was Annie still in her lovely white dress as she sat down beside a sort of bed. On the far wall was a poster with the name "Fearless Five" written in bold white letters and appeared to have the previous Dragon standing in the middle of five other heroes (three males and a single female), who also wore costumes that were themes after mythical creatures: a Western dragon, a gryphon, a Thunderbird, and a phoenix. This groups, as mention, was known as the Fearless Five, a group of heroes that was led by the original Dragon. The hospital bed itself resembled more of a capsule than a normal bed, but it was the person in the bed that made it look shocking was the person who was laying in it. It appeared to be a young rough, no older than the age of twelve,

"If only I could actually be there . . . like a normal person . . ." Annie whispered as a tear trickled down her cheek.

Her ears perched up as she heard a door opening and saw that someone was entering the room. She turned to see that the person was a female tiger in her mid-twenties. She had a nice sculptural body that had the usual tiger fur color and markings, long black hair that was tied back into a ponytail, and gentle blue eyes. She appeared to be a sort of nurse by the clothing that she was wearing as she too up a chair and sat on the other side of the capsule.

"Annie, I know you're there." The nurse stated, despite it appearing that she couldn't see the older collie. "I saw what happened on the news."

"Oh, that?" Annie answered sheepishly.

"Anastasia Wellington, what happened?"

"Well, it all started like this . . ."

* * *

Somewhere, in a dimly lit room, was a figure sitting in a chair and watching the news on how the new Dragon had came to the rescue of Brisbane Wellington's engagement party. The figure watched on as a female robin appeared on the screen, she appeared to be in her mid-twenties with a very nice womanly build (her chest area being the most noticeable feature out of all her body) that had black feathers (which had black from her wrist to her hands, white oh her fingertips [her tail-feathers being the same way same way]) with red from her neck to her underbelly, long raven-black hair (with some brown) that was tied up in a bun, short golden beak, and dark-hazelnut eyes. This person was none other than Robyn Rehdcrest, one of the best (though she was very recent) reporters Empire City had to offer, worked on "Good Morning Empire City" as well as late night with veteran Claude Bukowski, and had a huge fanbase (irony). With a microphone in hand, she stood outside the Wellington International building where police cars and ambulances were parked and patrons from the party were being comforted.

"_Mister Wellington himself expressed gratitude to the new Dragon for ensuring the safety of every patron at the party, though he declined to be interviewed and stated that his children needed him. Dragon, however, wasn't the only hero tonight as Police Commissioner Seth Speakman and a few others, including his own son, had aided the new hero against members of the Nite Shadowz gang. How they were able to infiltrate the party is still a mystery as none of the security equipment have not been tampered with, neither was there any sign of any struggle in the lobby, though many were found unconscious and without any memory on what had happened. Authorities are investigating the source of the problem as we speak and so far have been unable to find any clue of tonight's events. Live from the Wellington International building, this has been Robyn Rehdcrest; back to you Claude._"

The figure paused the image of Robyn, then rewinded until the screen showed the image of the new Dragon.

"So, there truly is another Dragon in Empire City; interesting." The figure commented, the voice suggesting he was male, as he stood from his seat, then walked towards a sort of station. "Then perhaps I should give him a proper . . . _welcome_."

With that said, a column of light had suddenly enveloped him, though his physical features remained ambiguous as massive metallic arms placed parts of metal all over his body. The process only lasted a few minuets as the figure began to walk towards a far wall. It also appeared that said figure had become taller than he was earlier. As he reached the wall, he flipped a switch, which opened up the ceiling above and allowed sunlight to brighten up the room.

"I hope you've enjoyed your new popularity . . . Dragon . . ."

The figure took a few steps into the light and revealed himself to be suited in what appeared to be armor that made him look to be about fifteen feet tall with the arms appearing to be the largest of all. The armor itself was dark-crimson in color with a black F painted on the chest, while the helmet had yellow eye lenses and a long muzzle feature, but said nothing to what the species of the person, nor did it show to be male or female. As the figure spoke, the voice, most likely do to the helmet, sounded very warped and untraceable.

"Because your _Fate_ now lies in my hands . . ."

* * *

To Be Continued: Changes Pt. 4: Fate

* * *

**Oh no, looks like Dragon has a new upcoming challenge to tackle, but as to the character's identity, you'll just have to tune in. There it was, nothing more, nothing less. And now, even Jeff's discovered the alter ego of his own best friend. Sorry about the party, not really sure how they go, but I hope I came just a bit close. Congrats to AnthroLover as Robert's team has been alluded, two characters had her cameo, and your villain had made his special début! You rock! To clear things up, the masks that the Nities were wearing are a reference to the DC supervillain/crime lord, Roman Sionis AKA the Black Mask (to fans of the Batman Arkham game series) As it is now said, Robert was once a leader of a group of heroes, where they are now, is to be seen in the main fic. Man, I gotta tell ya, it is a scorcher here in California, but hey, what's Summer without a little heat? Anyway, stay cool, people and get some smokin BBQ! Mmmm-Mmmm! Hope everyone liked this, because I'd kill myself if I didn't meet up with expectations. Well, until my next update, this is King of 2211, signing off.**

**P.S.**

**No offense to any Superior Spider-Man fans, but . . . . EAT IT DAN SLOTT! Sorry, had to get that out of my system. I'm a huge fan of Miles Morales. Laterz;)**

* * *

**Another bio:**

**Name: Miss Mind**

**Real Name: Anastasia "Annie" Wellington**

**Species: Rough Collie**

**Age: 12 (but appears to be 30)**

**Date of Birth: June 30**

**Residence: Empire City General Hospital**

**Description:**

**She is around four-foot seven (if she could stand) with light-brown and fur, long brown hair, and blue eyes.**

**Personality:**

**She is mature, competent, caring, determined, brave, wise, intelligent, kind, strong-minded, and very playful.**

**Friends and Family:**

**Hamish Wellington (father)**

**Selma Wellington (mother, deceased)**

**Brisbane Wellington (uncle)**

**Carrie Wellington (cousin)**

**George Wellington (cousin)**

**Shannon Windsor-Wellington (step-aunt)**

**Larry Windsor (step-cousin)**

**Charles Wellington (uncle)**

**Dominique La Rue-Wellington (step-aunt)**

**June Dawes-La Rue (step-cousin)**

**Diane Wellington (aunt)**

**Miriam Manson (tigress, nurse at the hospital who knows her secret)**

**Yao (blackbuck, best friend)**

**Hobbies:**

**Mentally searching the city, having Miriam talking to her in her mind, and playing with Yao in the astral plain.**

**Likes:**

**Miriam reading to her, Yao playing with her, kindness, good people, and learning new things.**

**Dislikes:**

**People talking to her like she didn't have a clue or she was dead, evil, crime, cruelty, good people suffering, arrogance.**

**Biography:**

**She was born into the wealthy British-American Wellington family in Empire City, though her mother died at childbirth. As it wasn't enough to her father, Hamish Wellington, he also discovered that she was born without any of the five senses and couldn't even move. She could still breathe and grow normally, but she was nothing more than just a body. The medics told Hamish that it was better to end her suffering, but he refused, instead he kept her at the hospital and hid her from the rest of the world in an isolated area of the hospital, saying she died with her mother. He still visited her occasionally. It was one day years later that one nurse was taking care of everything, when she heard a voice inside her head. It didn't take long to discover that this voice was Anastasia! Anastasia didn't have the five senses, but she had incredible telepathic powers. For the next years she would use those powers to learn things from people around her and her powers would grow until she could hear everything in Empire City in her mind. She grew resentful of crime and wished it would stop. It was when the heroes started to return that she just saw the chance of helping with her powers, giving information and guidance . . .**

**Costume Description:**

**Not a real one, but when contracting someone mind, she appears to be an attractive tall woman in an elegant white dress and has a highly womanly voice.**

**Powers and Abilities:**

**Telepathy: She has high telepathic powers that enable her to contact and read the minds of every being in a range of 400 miles, being increased when she is focused. She can also communicate with people through the mind, even creating a mental ambient where she can talk with them and even make contact with other people to far communicate. Though she could control other people's minds with her powers, she doesn't do so, because she thinks it's not right, doing it only in extreme situations.**

**Weapons and Equipment:**

**None.**

**Skills:**

**She is very intelligent and wise, and has a range of resources.**

**Affiliation: Good**


	14. Changes Pt 4: Fate

**The King is in da house! Now is the time that Po shall take on a villain not seen or heard from since Robert was Dragon. I know most of you would like to know this "Man of Fate", and so you shall! The Wolverine debuted Friday and I loved every single second of it! He's, like, one of the most coolest Marvel heroes ever, next to Spidey that is. But enough about that. I sincerely apologize if I've taken too lone and if the chap itself is a little too long. Everyone knows who owns what and who doesn't, so there! Now, with all that said and done; one with the show!**

* * *

Chapter 12: Changes Pt. 4: Fate

* * *

It was a week later from the incident at the Wellington International building on a Saturday morning that Dragon was on his daily routine in patrolling the city. As he did so, his mind went back to the night of the party and how Commissioner Speakman called him a friend. Coming from someone who's basically a "modern legend" in a city that was once full of corruption, it meant more than a lot. But then there was the problem with the son of the "modern legend", who was the best friend of the alter ego of Dragon by the way, had recently found out he was the new Dragon. Of course, there would be no way to talk around the situation because the German shepherd was smarter than most athletes at school; being the child of law enforcement pays off sometimes. In fact, he could still remember the Saturday last week when he brought it up with Robert and Amber . . .

* * *

_FLashback_

* * *

_Back at the Glover Residence were Po, Robert, Amber, and Jeff, sitting in the den and enjoying some chocolate-chip cookies (courtesy of the cougar). It came to a shock when the panda revealed that the German shepherd had found out about his new double life, one of High School student, Po Ping and the other as the new guardian, Dragon. Po then went on to explain on how he found the Eternal Ember, the Eternal Ember's back story and how it was Dragon's power source and it was the reason the Furious Five came into existence, how he managed to bust the ScaleZ (which quipped the canine's attention), how he managed to stop the heist with the Raptorz (Which he wasn't proud off), about facing Devil's Trigger and the so-called "Furious Five" (much to the dog's surprise), up to the part where he got to the party. What really got to Jeff was the part where the torch was officially passed to Po by the previous Dragon, but didn't the panda find the Eternal Ember in . . . Robert's . . . study . . ? Wait a minuet . . ._

_"Hold on, that means Robert . . ." Jeff murmured as he looked between his best friend and best friend's legal guardian, then donned a look of shock. "Omigod! You're . . . or were . . ."_

_"Emphases on was." Robert calmly replied. "As in "not anymore"."_

_"B-but . . . the Dragon died . . ."_

_"So?"_

_"And you're sitting right here, right now . . ."_

_"Your point being?"_

_"Well, what happened nine years ago?" Jeff question in confusion. "I mean, you were Empire City's famed guardian, the leader of his own group of heroes, and the one person who made a difference . . ."_

_"I know!" Robert snapped angrily, but as soon as he calmed he saw the frightened expressions on his adopted son, German shepherd, and wife. "Sorry, but that's a story I'd prefer to put on hold for now."_

_"Okay . . ."_

_"I'm sorry I had to snap like that, that day, years ago, it was something that no living soul should ever go through . . ."_

_The three noticed that he looked unusually sick, which was highly unfitting for someone of his image. Apparently whatever happened during the hostage situation at Wellington International years ago had really burned him up something bad, though it was hard to say what had happened exactly. The grizzly saw that the three were looking at him with concern, which made him shake off what was bothering him._

_"Besides, the city's in good hands and I completely trust that Po has what it takes, though he still has ways to go, I know he's just the thing Empire City needs." The grizzly stated wholeheartedly. _

_"I'll say, but there's something else that needs to be done." Amber spoke up in a serious tone. "Jeff, you may be Po's best, but now that you know about Dragon, your life might e at risk."_

_"Here it comes . . ." Jeff sighed._

_"Amber's right, since you know Po's secret, you'll be in frequent danger." Robert added seriously. "But we're not without reason, you must swear that you'll not tell a living soul and take this secret to the grave."_

_"I swear . . . one condition."_

_"You want in." Po deduced almost instantly._

_"You can." Amber added with a knowing smirk._

_"Ah ha! I knew you'd say that . . . wait, what was that?" Jeff asked in confusion._

_"Jeff, we've seen enough crime movies and know you all too well, plus we knew one of you guys would figure it out sooner or later." Robert replied, stood up, and walked over to the canine as he shook his hand. "Though this also means you can never, in all your life, tell your father, welcome to the crew."_

_"Awesome, so, when do I start?"_

* * *

_End Flashback_

* * *

"Well, at least I got _some_ back up." Dragon shrugged, jumping from building to building.

On the streets below, watching Dragon hopping building to building, was a wolf that appeared to be in his late-twenties. He had an average build with black fur, short black hair, pointed ears and muzzle, and dark-red eyes. He wore a red polo shirt, black jeans that were held up by a brown leather belt, and black Nikes. He look on in astonishment as the hero vanished behind some buildings.

"Wow, there really is another Dragon, who knew?" The wolf asked no one in particular. He the looked to his right and saw a person at a café with a book with the headings "Cross-dressing for Dummy's". "Okay, disturbing, I'd get a drink if it weren't so early."

After jumping a few buildings, Dragon found a good place to rest and took out a water bottle as he took a few sips.

"This is a really nice view, don't you think?"

"Hello, Annie." Dragon sighed as he looked to his right to see the white dressed figure of Annie.

"Hello, Po, how are you this fine evening?" The collie replied with a sweet and pleasant smile.

"Well, aside from seeing a strange woman appear to me and knows everything about both my identities (whilst I know less about her), I'm actually quite alright, thank you for asking. How are you today?"

"Oh, I'm fine, just enjoying the sight and sounds of the city . . . oh, you have company coming, I'll be right back."

"Wait, company, what do you . . ?" Dragon question, but saw that the canine had vanished like she and Yao did back at the party. " . . . mean . . "

"See, I knew we'd find him!"

This made Dragon freeze at first, but calmed himself, feeling that it would be pointless to run or hop away. he slowly turned around to see the group that called themselves the new so-called Furious Five. Unbelievable, all he wanted was a nice quiet patrol right before he went thug-bustin', was that so wrong? From what he saw, they were looking at him with bemused expressions and a glare from iron Tigress, obviously they heard the news about the party. He also sensed that there was a feeling of disgust as they looked through him; the feeling was mutual.

"Like I said, if we just circle around the city, we'd find him in no time." Steel Monkey stated.

"Oh, great it's you guys, here I thought it was going to be steady." Dragon sighed, then full turned around to face them. "Look, I quite busy at the moment, so I'll make it quick, what do you want?"

"We have a bone to pick with you!" Brass Mantis spoke out.

"We've heard about the party at Wellington International." Silver Crane said in an oddly calm voice. "And how Comissioner Speakman spoke highly of you."

"You're point being?" Dragon asked, not wanting to waste any time in stalling.

"Our point is, just because you took down those Nite Shadowz and have it good with the Commissioner doesn't make you better than any one else, mainly us!" Iron Tigress yelled.

"I don't, I think people like the police, doctors, and fire fighters are the real heroes in this city. But now that you've brought up the subject about the party, I think you're all just jealous because I was actually helping people, some of which were able to fend for themselves, and stopped a groups of thugs who were trying to rob and hurt everyone there, while other so-called "heroes" were too lazy to even bother to show up!"

"Okay, first off: we didn't even know what was going on." Bronze Viper protested.

"Second of all: how did you know that those trash bags were going to be there in the first place?" Steel Monkey demanded, wondering that for a good while.

"That's a need-to-know basis, which in your case means: none of your beeswax!" Dragon shouted, then turned around to leave. "I don't have time for this, goodbye, I hope to elude you guys more in the future."

"Where're you going, we're not done with you!" Silver Crane said as he and his comrades began to follow Dragon.

"Well, I'm done with all of you, plain and simple!"

And Dragon would have gone into a full sprint to get away from them if it weren't for a certain female collie that had reappeared right in front of him.

"Okay, that will need some serious getting use to." Dragon said sarcastically, not really use to have people he knows nothing about appear to him. "Look, I'm in the middle of ditching these posers, can we talk later?"

"Unfortunately, we can't." Annie replied grimly.

"Um, excuse us, ma'am?" Bronze Viper spoke up, which shocked Dragon. "Sorry to bother you, but we have something to discuss with this person."

"No we don't." Dragon replied, then realized something. "Hold on you can see and her this person."

"Well, _doy_, she's a female collie in a white dress." Steel Monkey replied bitterly. "Come to think about it, where'd she come from?"

"Pretty sure there was no one else here, besides this guy." Brass Mantis added as he and his comrades.

"How could . . . are you doing the same thing to them that you're doing to me?" Dragon question.

"If you mean communicating, then, yes." Annie replied, which confused the Five.

"Excuse me, but who are you?" Iron Tigress asked, becoming very suspicious.

"And what do you "communicate"?" Silver Crane added, equally as suspicious.

"I know you all have a lot of question, Dragon having more than any one, but there's no time to . . ." The collie suddenly stopped as her ears twitched and eyes widened, which really started to worry the six heroes. " . . . Too late . . . he's here . . ."

Before any of the six could say anything else, Dragon suddenly became stiff, looked around, then flipped over as a large missile barely missed him. Seeing Dragon dodge the explosive projectile caused the Five to jump back a few feet. No one was out of the woods just yet as the projectile reached a certain height, then blew up. Fortunately, the heroes were able to take as everyone on the grounds below took notice and froze where they stood.

"The hell?!" Steel Monkey shouted i confusion. "What was that?"

"Oh, I don't know, maybe something like a missile!" Dragon shouted sarcastically.

"We could see that, but the real question is where it came from." Sliver Crane spoke up, looking around to find the source of where the missile came from.

"That would be me."

The six whirled around to see who had just spoke, but found no one else on the roof around, not even Annie. It was then that Brass Mantis look upwards and gasped, gaining the attention of his comrades and Dragon, who also looked up and were met by an extraordinary sight. Floating in the air was a machine-like figure that was no larger that fifteen feet tall, crimson colored armor, larger powerful-looking arms, jets on the back and legs, squinted yellow lenses on the helmet, and a black capital "F" on the middle of its chest. Was it just them, or did it feel as though the six were in a science-fiction movie . . . Both, definitely both.

"Well, lo and behold, I was actually expecting to come face to face with the "new" Dragon himself." The figure spoke in a metallically warped voice. "Though I admit, you've all saved me the time of searching for all of you, Furious Five."

"And you would?" Dragon inquired.

"Isn't it obvious?"

"Well, it's freaky that there's a type of robot floating right in front of us and it's not even Friday. If you were here yesterday, it would have been a "Freaky Friday", get it? It would have gone great with that F on your chest, but that not was it's for, is it?"

"No, it is not, that was very much hilarious the way you've made it sound, but that's not what it stands for." The figure replied, lowering itself to meet the group, which made them up their guard in case the "machine" tried anything. "I am he who is of the highest intelligence, the one who will show to the world the you so-called superheroes are naught but a con, I am Fate!"

"Hold up, rewind, _you're_ Fate?" Dragon questioned looking up the machine-person up and down. "As in the high-tech supervillain that was from decades ago?"

"The very same."

"Aren't you a little, I don't know, _big_ to be _that_ guy?" Silver Crane questioned skeptically.

"Yeah, if you're really Fate, what up with the new look?" Steel Monkey added, just as skeptically.

"Well, it's simple, everything in this city was changing, from technology to superheroes." Fate merely replied. "That's when it came to me: if everything else changes over the years, why not add some changes to my armor as well?"

"Well, now you have your new look, I suppose you're going to use it to hurt people?" Iron Tigress growled, glaring at the armored figure.

"That depends . . ."

"On what?" Bronze Viper demanded.

"Are you all willing to admit defeat and reveal your true identities for the public to see?"

"Okay, how about . . . Never on your computer brain metal mouth!" Brass Mantis shouted.

"Very well, prepare to meet your dome." Fate stated, adjusting himself for combat.

"What?" Dragon questioned in confusion allowing Fate to realize the error in his vocabulary.

"I mean your '"doom" . . . doom, yes . . ."

"Oh yeah, you and who's army!" Steel Monkey challenged.

"Not so much an army, but I'm so glad that you've asked."

As Fate said that, a large group of machine soldiers appeared along side the mechanical figure in the same fashion. Each soldier appeared similar to Fate only they were half the size, had fewer weapons, and lacked that type of arms that Fate had. If anyone had a calculator or abacus, they would have counted at least thirty-five, thirty-six if you added Fat to the mix. The six heroes stood frozen, gathered everything and collected themselves slowly, then five of them turned to glare at a certain primate of the group.

"Uh . . . I was joking . . . Heh?" Steel Monkey chuckled and shrugged nervously.

"Funny, I wasn't." Fate replied. "Fire!"

With that said, Fate and the other machines fired a barrage of lasers that the six barely managed to dodge in time. They were all forced to scatter as each of the machine soldiers began onslaught that, even with their skills in combat, the six had trouble dodging blasts from weaponry and blocking from physical strikes. Fate remained where he floated and watched in amusement as Dragon and the Furious Five had trouble defending themselves against his soldiers. The worst part, however, lied with the heroes themselves as they constantly bumped into one another, getting their weapons tangled up somehow, and even getting in each other's way. How bad could it be, well . . .

"Hey!"

"Look out!"

"Watch where you're . . !"

"That's my head!"

"Knock it off!"

"Son of a . . !"

Yeah, that's how bad it was. Things could be better, but then again, they could be a lot worse than it was already. Seeing that they were all going nowhere fast, Dragon, hidden in the shadows along with the Five, watched as the machine soldiers swept and combed the area for them. They also heard the sound of falling debris and shrieks of terror from the people at ground level, which really got to the six very badly.

"Hiding yourselves from a superior being, I expected as much, you are doing nothing but proving that I am, in fact, correct that superheroes are nothing but a fraud. You all have every right to hide in fear, but it shall do none of you any good. I have tried to be polite, but I have come to my wit's end. You will come out of the locations of which you are hidden or I shall order my troops to rain fire upon the entire city. If you did not understand an ounce of what I have just said, which is highly predictable, then allow me to translate: surrender yourselves and reveal your identities right now or I shall order my troops to reduce this city to a pile of ashes!"

. . . That did it . . . That was the last straw . . . . This guy could call them cowardly frauds . . . He could say that he was superior to them in every which way, but loose . . . But when he declares that he'd order his machines to harm innocent civilians . . . . There would be hell to pay . . . In full! Because if there was one thing that the six weren't going to allow laying down, letting this mechanical madman having his way of destruction was one of those things. The more Dragon thought about it, the more he came to a conclusion: he and the Five had to set aside their differences and . . . w-w-wor . . . w-w-w-worrrrrrrr . . . . Work together as a team! There, he said it, but that didn't (nor ever) mean that he had to like it.

"Alright, don't know about you guys, but I'm not going to stand for this!" Dragon stated, gaining the attention of the Five. "Okay Look, it's plainly obvious that I don't like any of you and you don't like me."

"Feeling's mutual." Brass Mantis remarked bitterly.

"Even so, this guy isn't going to stop until we do what he wants. Though this goes against everything I've thought about you guys (don't ask), it pains me to say it, and believe me as I stress the word "_pains_", we have no choice but to . . . but to . . . w-w-w . . . worrrrrr . . . . woooorrrrrrrrrrrrrr . . . . . Work together! There, I said it."

"Uh . . . you're joking, right?" Steel Monkey scoffed skeptically.

"You just said that we don't like each other, so, why bother?" Iron Tigress questioned.

"Even if we do work together, there's just too many of them." Silver Crane stated as his rear fell to the floor.

"Even the other Dragon had it rough with this guy." Bronze Viper said quietly.

"Listen to yourselves, you guys didn't sound like crybabies when you tried to take me last week!" Dragon yelled, which received shocked looks from the Five. "And before any of you says anything, this is not up for debate, because if you haven't noticed: there's a large mechanical maniac threatening to harm innocent civilians just so that he could prove we're fakes!"

"So, what would you have us . . ?" Steel Monkey was about to question.

"I know we don't see eye to eye, trust each other, or even know who the other is (in short I don't know who you guys are under those masks in vice versa), but the point is this: either we work together as a team or everything goes boom!"

"Wow, you actually sound like you care." Bronze Viper said in surprised.

"Of course I care, the main thing in being a superhero is to make sure normal people don't get hurt." Dragon replied seriously, which sounded odd from his usual wise-cracking personality. "Why else jump around the city in flashy costumes and with or without nearly destructive powers in the first place?"

Though it sounded weird the way he described it (and even weirder that the Five were actually starting to agree with him), Dragon was right, despite their many differences, the lives of innocent were hanging in the balance in this situation. Another good point was that they jumped from building to building while wearing such outrageous outfits was to save lives. Yes, it was a matter of fact, they knew nothing about this Dragon and he knew nothing about them, but they took an oath to protect this city and it's inhabitants. They were hesitant, which was highly understandable, they had all came to a conclusion which was brought up by the leader of the group.

"Alright, we'll do this your way, for now." Iron Tigress begrudgingly said.

"So, how do we handle these guys?" Brass Mantis asked.

"Hold on . . . How many killbots are out there?" Dragon asked looking at each of the machine soldiers.

"Thirty-five, thirty-six if you count Fate." Silver Crane said, then realized where Dragon was going. "Six goes into thirty-six by six times; there's thirty-six of them and there're six of us."

"Exactly, ever heard the saying "Divide and Conquer"?"

* * *

Down on the street level, along with the commotion and chaos, was a young male Siberian tiger in his mid-twenties. He was about five foot and ten inches tall with the normal colored fur his species had, short auburn-red hair, rounded ears, nearly flat muzzle, and blue eyes. He wore the standard police uniform worn by the ECPD, meaning (if it wasn't so obvious) he was a member of the force. He had only stepped out of his car to run down the street and grab a sandwich from the deli down the street, but was caught off-guard as soon as he saw a unit of flying machine soldiers firing their weapons all over the place, which made him dash through hysteric crowds to get back to where he parked. Upon reaching his patrol car, he turned on the radio and began to hail any other police unit around.

"Mayday, Mayday, this is Officer Benjamin Huan, I'm in the Downtown area and under fire from, well, robots! I repeat, this is Benjy Huan, there is an attack in Downtown! Please, send backup! Other units, SWAT team, military, anyone!"

"Hey, you, Robo-Punks!"

Six of the machine soldiers turned to see the form of Iron Tigress, who of which was glaring daggers at the. None of the soldiers seemed to be phased by her glare as they scanned her every being. They continued to stare and scan until each had confirmed she was one of the targets their creator programmed to annihilate.

_Target Acquired_. One of the soldiers stated in a techno-like voice as it and five other flew at the red costumed heroine.

Iron Tigress remained where she stood as six of the machines flew at her with amazing speed from their jets, then jumped onto one of the lead soldiers, placed her Amulet around her neck and summoned her claw-like weapons. Upon landing on one of the soldier's back, she pierced both claws into the jets, then gashed the entire back, causing the machine to malfunction and crash to the streets below. As she landed on the rooftop of a nearby building, Iron Tigress found herself confronted by two more machine soldiers as they both advanced on her. After dodging one of the soldiers as it swung at her, she dropped into a Hung Kuen fighting stance, then went on the attack. She came at one of the soldiers and as soon as it tried to punch the tiger with its right fist, she blocked it with her left forearm, the palm struck its head, causing it to fly off the body. The feeling of confidence started to well within her when she was suddenly shot by, what appeared to be, a laser. Slowly and angrily, without a scratch to be seen, the tiger turned around to see three more machine soldiers, one of which had a sort of blaster on its right shoulder, which was most likely the one that shot the feline.

"That's it!" Iron Tigress growled, that would have made the machine soldiers cringe if they had been programmed with emotions. "You walking trash cans just made my list!"

Iron Tigress then made a dash at the three soldiers, jumped in the air, then struck one of the machines with a sidekick, which pierced through its chest and caused it to lose power. Before the remaining soldiers could react, Iron Tigress came at one of them and began to swipe at the machine as if she were a feral tiger, spun into a spinning hook kick, spun again and jumped into a jump spinning hook kick, then jumped up one more time and brought her hands down with her claw weapons. If the soldier were butter, the claws were like knives as the metallic claws slashed through the machine. She then turned to the last of the soldiers, performed a barrage of punch of lightning fast punches at its chest, spun into a jump spinning round kick, then jumped up in the air and brought her claws down upon the machine. Iron Tigress looked around to see that the soldiers were in pieces and were out of commission; perfect.

"That'll teach you." The tiger said in a low voice, then went to catch up with the others.

* * *

Things seemed to go the same way for Silver Crane as he flew around another six of the machine soldiers were hot on his trail.

"That's right, you bunch of rust buckets, follow the birdie." The avian whispered.

Silver Crane then dipped and corkscrewed until he was between two of the soldiers, then summon both of his fans. Leaving them into their folded up "dagger-mode", Silver Crane, stabbed both fans into the soldiers, slowed the pace of his flight pattern, and allowed his fans to split the soldiers in two. The avian stopped and watched as the remains of the machine soldiers fall to the ground.

"Your flight's been canceled."

A noise shot out of nowhere as Silver Crane was barely able to dodged a blast from two more machine soldiers flying straight towards him. Seeing no reason to hold back, Silver Crane unfolded his fans and deflected any blasts that came his way, then flew forward. As he approached the incoming machine soldiers and deflected their blasts, Silver Crane caught one of the blasts and redirected it to of the soldiers. This left the avian with the just three, one in front of him and two coming in at 12:00, but first, the one before him needed to go. Before the soldier could react, Silver Crane swiped at it multiple times, which caused it to break into isty bitsy pieces. Upon realizing that the two other machines were almost on top of him, the avian connected both his fans into a disk, then threw it at the soldiers. Bullseye! The fan-disk sailed straight towards the machine soldiers and decapitated both of them; Silver Crane was the victor.

"Thank you, for flying and being sliced n' diced by Air Silver Crane, have a nice day." Silver Crane quipped as if he were an announcer, then flew to meet up with the group.

* * *

On the other side of Downtown were Steel Monkey and Brass Mantis stood back to back as they found themselves surrounded by at least a dozen machine soldiers. This deter them, however, as they put on their Amulets and summoned their weapons. They both then dropped into their respective fighting stances and glared at their adversaries.

"Alright, you metal heads want some of this?!" Brass Mantis demanded, twirling his Kamas.

_Targets Acquired_. The soldiers merely replied as they advanced upon the two.

"You're all going down like Jacques Cousteau!" Steel Monkey stated as he spun his Bo staff.

Brass Mantis then ran between two of the soldiers, who aimed at him, but as they fired, the weasel used his Amulets power to shrink himself, causing both blasts to impact on the soldiers. Another soldier appeared above Brass Mantis and stomped its foot onto him in hopes of squishing him. This intent was unfruitful as Brass Mantis grew in size and mass, the squashed the robot with his own gigantic foot. Steel Monkey was having no problem on his part, what with the super speed he had from his Animal Amulet, and was even able to disarm a great measure of robotic soldiers, then struck them with his staff. Brass Mantis, feeling that these rusty buckets needed to be cut down to size, used his Kamas to slice through most of the soldiers into bits the size of pudding cups. Both heroes continued their onslaught until, though there were still some that were still active in a pile, there were only two left standing. Steel Monkey, using his speed for propulsion, bumped one of the soldiers to Brass Mantis, who was currently a larger size and sliced the machine in two with a now giant Kama. Try as it could as it fired at the now giant green clad weasel, the robo-soldier was helpless as one of the giant hands of the weasel gripped onto it and squeezed it so tight that it was practically crushing.

"Brass Mantis is living large and he's up for the pitch!" Brass Mantis called out and, literally, pitched the machine soldier towards his primate teammate.

"Batter up!" Steel Monkey said, holding his staff like a baseball bat, then swung at the machine soldier that came his way.

The soldier flew in the air until it had crashed into the mound of its broken up comrades, which caused all of them to break into small pieces. Scoreboard, Heroes: 24; Villains: 0.

"Home run!" Steel Monkey announced, then did a little breakdance.

"Alright, Footloose, let's save the celebrating for later, we need to regroup with the others." Brass Mantis said as he and his comrade rush back to mid-Downtown.

* * *

Bronze Viper caught the right fist of the robotic soldier with her own right hand, pulled it in as she shopped at its throat, swept it by the leg as it fell to the ground, then (with the help of her Animal Amulet) summoned her chain-whips, wrapped her right hand with one of them, and punched at the soldier's head. That just left her with the five other robots of mass destruction they all took aim at her. This didn't faze her as she activated the powers of her amulet and vanished into thin air.

_Target Lost._ One of the soldiers said as they looked around for their intended target.

It was then that sparks flew from two of the robots, causing the other three to try to located the source, but found nothing. The sparks stopped coming, but both soldiers bumped into each other as if they were pulled into colliding with each other. At that very moment, one of the soldiers tried to activate its blaster, but was black as the other soldier (appearing to be pushed from behind) collided with its comrade. This caused the robot's blaster to be clogged by the other soldier, then blew up along with the upper halves of the robo-soldiers. It was only a few minuets later that one of the other three robots began to shudder and spasm violently, the suddenly raise its arms and activate it's arm blasters and pointed at the two remaining soldiers. It was then that bronze chains appeared all over the robot's body and with it, atop the soldier itself, Bronze Viper.

_Target Acquired_. One of the soldiers said, but that hardly mattered at the moment.

As if the snake were a puppeteer and the robotic soldier itself was the puppet, Bronze Viper forced the robot to shoot the two other soldiers into scrap metal. With the last soldier already tangled up in her chain-whips, Bronze Viper jumped off of the robot, then began to pull the chains with all her might. She pulled and pulled until the chains crushed the robotic soldier into pint size pieces, enabling her victory.

"Even good girls have their bad sides." The snake teased, then rushed to catch up with the group.

* * *

Dragon, ironically, had the least trouble in fighting his part of the robotic soldiers as he finished two off with his collapsible Bo staff. Placing the extendable staff away, Dragon took out one of his Eskrima sticks and proceeded to attack another soldier, though it was barely scratch the outside of its armor. Obviously, the metal was reenforced, which encouraged Dragon to take out his second Eskrima stick and channel his Chi into both of them as they became ablaze. Hit by hit he struck both of the machines with a barrage of strikes and prairies, then finished off one of them with a stab of both of his sticks. He then turned toward the other soldier, placed his Eskrima sticks on his back, then took out one of his Nunchucks and flailed it around. As the soldier tried to attack him, Dragon used his flail as an Eskrima (with both regular and reverse grip), then flailed it to add more damage as it began to shudder then fall to the ground. He took out the other pair when he saw two more soldiers approach, then lashed out that them as he used both pairs of Nunchucks as Eskrimas. After a few prairies and strikes, Dragon channeled his Chi as both the flails became ablaze, then flailed them in a free-style sort of way. It took only a few minuets as both soldiers now laid in ruins and Dragon stood above the pile victoriously.

"Rest in pieces." Dragon quipped, then mocked bow.

It was at that moment that the Eternal Ember alerted Dragon of incoming danger and managed to jump over another missile that came his way. As soon as he landed on another building he looked around to see if there were any remaining soldiers left, but all were too wrecked up to do anything. It was then that he heard a loud metallic clap and whirled around to see the form of Fate, who hovered above Dragon.

"I must say, I am both disappointed in my soldiers for failing and impressed that you' have managed to defeat them." The mechanical criminal sated in an oddly calm voice. "But your luck ends here!"

Before Dragon could ask what he meant, Fate aimed at a few nearby buildings, then fired a laser, which caused debris to fall upon the citizens on the streets below. Dragon knew, that even with his enchanted speed and leaping abilities, he wouldn't make it in time to help all of them, but that didn't stop him from making a mad dash to one of the streets. As soon as he was in position, Dragon channeled his Chi into his hands, then fired a barrage of Flame-Bullets at the falling debris, but there was still so much that he could do as there was a lot of falling debris. To his horror, Dragon saw that some of the debris was about to fall upon a couple of people and couldn't aim in time . . . When something very odd happened. Right before the debris could make their mark the civilians who were standing there . . . . Vanished. Without leaving a trace of where they went. But, then again, if there were any clues to where they disappeared to, it'd be most likely crushed by the fallen debris. It was at that very moment that the people who were about to be crushed reappeared along with Steel Monkey, who appeared to be their savior and twirled his staff lazily.

"Are you glad I'm such a _quickie_?" The primate asked jokingly. "If only pizza delivery were this fast."

He wasn't the only one to come to the rescue as Silver Crane swooped a few pedestrians out of harms way from the debris.

"Welcome, to Air Silver Crane, please keep your arms and legs inside the flight at all times." The avian stated as he flew the civilians to safety.

They were soon joined up by the other members of the Five as Brass Mantis appeared in a gigantic form to prevent a few civilians from being crushed by debris.

"Go, quick." The now gigantic weasel ushered, which was obeyed.

The next to help out were Iron Tigress and Bronze Viper as the feline and reptile worked together in their efforts. The tiger punched and kicked any debris that came down into dust as the snake used her chain-whips to pull people out of harms way, both succeeded in rescuing civilians. With everyone out of danger the Five regrouped with Dragon, then glared menacing daggers at a certain madman in armor. Fate, seemingly calm even though he was on the verge of defeat, remained in the air, then started to clap once more.

"It appears that I have gravely underestimated your skills, but no matter." The armored villain stated as his jets began to start-up. "It seems that a tactical retreat is in order, ta ta, for now."

With that said, Fate turned around, then started to fly at high-speed away from the area. What? That was it? The guy talked smack about superheroes, he unleashed a unit of robotic soldier, he fired on innocent civilians, and now he was running (or flying or whatever) away?! What, was he all talk or just plain afraid to take them on himself? It was kindly safe to say: this guy had some nerve! The heroes were about to give chase, when something much more odd than the week before, happened. Everything, including Fate himself . . . Began to slow down in, literally, slow-motion. Now this was serious deja-vu on Dragon's, but it didn't feel like Annie was any part of it, in fact, everything began to turn . . . Blue? Apparently, Dragon was the only one to experience what was going on as he heard sounds of surprise from the Furious five and saw that the Five Animal Amulets were glowing.

"What the hell?!" Steel Monkey yelped.

"What's happening?" Silver Crane asked in bewilderment.

"I don't know!" Iron Tigress replied, not trying to hide the look of surprise on her face.

Dragon was about say something, but was met by flashes of images inside his head, then turned to face the five.

"I think I know what to do!" He said, gaining the attention of the five of heroes. "Look, I can't explain why, but try to channel your Chi into the Amulets, then shoot them at me."

"How's that going to . . ?" Iron Tigress was about to question.

"Just do it!"

"Well, okay, I was open for suggestion any way." Brass Mantis said as he channeled his Chi into his Amulet, then chuckled. "Heh, that rhymed."

The rest of the Five looked at each other, shrugged their shoulders, then began to channel their Chi into their respective Amulets as Dragon instructed. Dragon himself focused his Chi throughout his body and began to glow a bright gold color as he waited for the right moment to strike. As soon as their Chi was at full power, each of the Five focused on giving some to Dragon as orbs of multicolored energy (red from Tiger, white from Crane, brown from Monkey, and green from both Snake and Mantis) flew out of their Amulets. The orbs of energy flew towards Dragon at high-speed, but as soon as they reached him, they stopped, then started to fly in circular motions like planets around the sun. Dragon then started to perform a Tai Chi form, then placed both arms to his right (**think the Kamehameha Wave from the Dragon Ball Series or Hadouken from the Street Fighter Series**) as an orb of golden energy began to energize. As he charged it up, the five other orbs increased their speed, then flew into the gold energy orb, which made it glow even brighter. Feeling that the energy was charged up and ready for deployment, Dragon thrust out both of his arms as he shot the orb straight towards Fate. While in the air, the orb, much to the shock and awe of the six heroes, began to grow until it became a thirty foot long Chinese dragon. The Dragon missed its mark, but before the six could groan in defeat, the dragon flew around in a sphere-like way until it stopped, then let out a loud roar. It then saw Fate, then flew as fast as a bullet as everything began to quicken up back to its normal speed. At that very moment, there was a huge explosion, then everything went silent . . . Until the hulking form of Fate crashed to the ground. The six slowly approached, then as soon as they though that it work; they won! They began to sigh in relief, then were met by a sudden sound of something none of them would never think they would hear. The six heroes looked around to see that the people around them were cheering for them. The six heroes looked around, then began to wave to everyone when a sudden thought popped into Dragon's head.

"Uh . . . Guys . . . I just remembered something . . ." He murmured slowly. "Even if their the biggest A-holes in the whole universe . . . It's way uncool to BBQ a person!"

"Awe, crap, he's . . . right?" Silver Crane uttered, when he saw that Fate's chest was open and . . . there was no one inside.

"What the . . ?" Brass Mantis questioned in confusion.

"Does this mean he was a machine all this time?" Bronze Viper asked with a tilted head.

"No, it just means the "Fate" you faced was a _toy_, so to speak."

The six whirled around to see a huge, static-flashing, holographic image of Fate that was coming from the "ruined" Fate's eyes.

"What the hell . . ?" Steel Monkey tried to process, but couldn't find the right words

"I have no time to explain, but I shall say this: you may have bested my works of art this day, but do not allow this victory to go to your already swollen head. This will not by the first time we will encounter each other nor shall it be the last you all shall see of me. The others and I have plans for this city and we shall not allow the likes of you to interfere."

"What do you mean by that?" Dragon demanded menacingly.

"Oh, you'll see soon enough, you all will." The holographic Fate chuckled. "But the next time we meet, I will not be as generous as I was this day, end transmission."

On that command the hologram flashed, then dissipated as the fake Fate then shut down . . . permanently.

"Yeah, that's right you better run away!" Steel Monkey shouted. "Or wither or dissipate or whatever!"

"Speaking of running away . . ." Dragon remarked as police sirens filled the air. "Look, it's been fun and all doing all fighting robots, but I really gotta book."

"Wait!" Silver Crane called, which got the other hero's attention. "About what happened, well, how do I put this . . ?"

"Thank you, for helping us!" Brass Mantis stated.

"Yeah, thanks, I guess." Steel Monkey muttered bitterly

"Couldn't have stopped them if it weren't for us working together." Bronze Viper Smiled.

"Maybe we could . . . do this . . . again . . . anytime soon?" Iron Tigress asked in a strained voice and awaited for an answer.

". . . Just don't go making a habit out of it . . . then maybe, just maybe . . . yeah, we can." Dragon replied as he leapt away.

* * *

While he jumped from building to building, Dragon's thoughts went back to what Fate had just said. What did he mean by the "others" and who were they suppose to be anyway? Was he working with or for someone or a group? Well, Whoever they are or might be, there was no way they'd be taking Empire City while he stood and breathed. If they wanted to do what they wanted with this city, they'd have to get through him first! He then focused back on returning to base, then take a break to get some eats with Jeff. As he continued, he turned to see none other than the new Furious Five, standing there while in deep conversation about a sort of topic. Though he knew better than to eavesdrop on the people that helped him against a very powerful supervillain, the temptation was just too great to ignore and Dragon found himself at a safe distance where he could hear them without being spotted. As he looked to where they were and kept quiet to hear what they were saying. Apparently, they were conversing on the encounter ealier when they were fighting against Fate and his machine soldiers.

"Think we'll ever find out who he is under his mask?" Silver Crane asked in curiosity, most likely they were asking about him (Dragon).

"Who knows, only time will tell." Bronze Viper replied, stretching out a bit. "Though it might be a while, we still know very little about him."

"And the same thing could be said about us." Iron Tigress added as she, to Dragon's surprised, took off her mask. "But hopefully, we'll learn to work on trusting each other if we're to work together."

As soon as the conversation was over Iron Tigress turned around, which allowed Po to see who she was under the mask and went wide-eye. . . . It. . . It was not possible. . . . It had to be a dream. . . . No. . . It was a nightmare! It was _her_! How could _she_ be the current successor to the Iron Tiger Amulet?!

* * *

End of Changes

* * *

To Be Continued: Prologue: Begging of a Generation

* * *

**That was chap 14 by me, the 2211 King! AnthroLover and Benjamin King your characters have met by cameoed! Never thought it would come to this, Po finding out who the Furious Five without their masks on. Think the tension has risen a bit? And it's official, Fate isn't working alone, he has inside help; talk about conspiracy, huh? On a side note, I have some very sad news to break to the readers. It was fun working and planning this story, but I'm sad to say that the next chap will be the final. That doesn't mean I'm done just yet. Not by a longshot! Stay tuned and stay cool. This is King of 2211, signing off.**

**P.S.**

**To any Miles Morales Spidey fans who have followed up on recent issues . . . SPIDEY IS BACK IN BLACK! But no, seriously, Miles is finally back in the game in the Ultimate Universe. Also, as confirmed by Brian Michael Bendis, there is, in fact a 616 Miles Morales. So again, I mean no offense to any Superior Spider-Man fans on the net, but . . . SUCK IT DAN SLOTT!**

* * *

**Here's Fate's bio:**

**Name: Milo Masters/Fate**

**Real Name: Gabriel Masters**

**Species: Crocodile**

**Age: Biologically 34, but chronologically 130**

**Date of Birth: March 22, 1804 (as Gabriel), 1974 (as Milo)**

**Residence: Presidential suite in the best hotel of Empire City**

**Gender: Male**

**Description:**

**8 feet tall with emerald colored scales, black hair in a mohawk, and yellow eyes with slit pupils.**

**Personality:**

**Moderate, hateful, patient, wise, determined, and hard-working.**

**Friends and Family:**

**Unnamed parents (deceased)**

**Carla Simpson (vixen, secretary)**

**Hobbies:**

**Playing cricket, playing chess, swimming, and spending time creating new devices.**

**Likes:**

**Receiving recognizement, winning, being successful in his plans, if they work that is.**

**Dislikes:**

**People who think that he doesn't deserve and losing.**

**Biography:**

**Gabriel Masters was born to a poor family as his mother never had time for him and his father left before he was born, but he never let that stop him. When he was eight he worked two jobs and yet he was still the best in his class. At age eighteen he was accepted in the best universities in the country and some from Europe. He quickly and expertly became knowledgeable in chemistry, biology, medicine and mechanics. His knowledge became more and more advanced until he became one of the richest people in the state. When the Great Depression happened, his company went broke, but he didn't let that win him over. He worked three jobs to rebuild his fortune and as time went by, he became richer than before; becoming one of the richest men in North America. One thing bothered him very much: the so-called superheroes. Many of them received their "gifts" accident, luck, or just being plain naturally talented. They never had to work as hard as him to get things in life and yet, they could (literally overnight) create more fame and prestige than it took him his whole life to create. This made his blood and swore he would prove to everyone that these so-called "heroes" were nothing but fakers. So created a mechanical suit of armor and called himself Fate, the one who would show the world that heroes were nothing. Time passed and age had started to take its effect on him, which meant he needed more time to carry out his plans. So, he did something many would think impossible and that, he himself, considered would be his greatest conquering: he cloned himself and transferred his memories to the new body. He had, in a way, achieved immortality. As years went by and changing the world along the way, he would learn more and became even richer and more powerful, but his goal to defeat and take the prestige from of the heroes remained. This would put him in direct confrontation with many heroes of Empire City. Once he even almost forced Dragon (who was Robert at the time) to reveal his identity by threatening to blow up a building that was full of innocent people, fortunately, he failed. His mechanical armor improved over time, now collecting in more modern combat technology. Nowadays he's known to the public world as Milo Masters, the great-grandson of himself and one of the richest people in the world, beside the Wellingtons.**

**Costume Description:**

**His armor nowadays is crimson in color, 15 feet tall with strong metallic arms, and has an F over the chest.**

**Powers and Abilities:**

**He has none, but compensates with his incredible intelligence and the wisdom he accumulated in more than one century oh his life.**

**Weapons and Equipment:**

**His armor has laser weapons, plasma canons, flying rockets, explosives, highly advanced sensors and many other things. He also holds portable weapons that he uses and many robots with the same weapons.**

**Skills:**

**He is incredibly skilled in many areas: mechanics, biology, chemistry, automation, administration, and knows a lot of many other things that he's learned in his life.**

**Affiliation: Evil**


	15. Prologue: A Star is Born

**Hey-Oh! This is your favorite King, coming to you live from the story that is Dragon! That's right, this is the last chap right before I start working on the main fic, Dragon: Season One. I hope everyone's ready, because here it comes! Before we get things going, I'd like to say a few things to some pretty awesome writers on the site:**

**monkeycyborgninja: My good friend and fellow author, you are one of the most talented writers I've ever met and I'm not just saying that because you're the first person who actually wanted to talk to me. P.S. I hope you get back onto Dragon Warrior 2099 soon, but Sword Ed Online is cool as well.**

**AnthroLover: You're just filled to the brim with awesome ideas and.**

**Princess ****Gakoshi ****: Milady, you may have given me the coolest girl to become a heroine, so far. I do hope that I do good with Milady's character in the future.**

**Shen's General: Dude, your character is a badass, enough said. I feel that Mass may "stir things up a notch", if you catch my drift. Keep up the good work and I hope Mass will make his mark in Season One.**

**Animation Universe 2005: What's there to say, you've read most of the fics I've made and I did so as well. For that I am thankful.**

**Grizzly Lee: I'm sorry to say that only one of your characters will become a hero, but I hope I mold him the right way.**

**edger230: I like your character and hope to work with her in Season One, but is it alright if I change her a bit? PM me if you'd like to talk. And I will try to get to your Cirque Du Freak fics, been a little busy lately, sorry.**

**Plus, I saw a movie this week that's based on one of my most favorite series, Sea of Monsters from the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series, which is the first arc of the Camp Half-Blood series. Now, with all that taken care of, DreamWorks are the soul owners of the KFP franchise, not me. On with the show!**

* * *

Prologue: A Star is Born

* * *

It was a sunny Sunday morning at the Glover residence as Po, Robert, and Amber were seated in the den as they saw the aftermath of yesterday's "activities". Images of the remains of the machine soldiers and the fake Fate were shown scattered throughout the area in wrecked pieces. The image changed to the avian form of Robyn Rehdcrest, with microphone in hand as she reported the events of the previous day:

"_Behind me are what is left of a horde of robotic soldiers. Among them is a particularly larger robot that resembles the villain known only as Fate, who of which was one of the many adversaries of the original Dragon and Furious Five. Though it wasn't the real Fate as it was only an animatronic copy, it's proof enough to alert the people of Empire City that a remnant of time's past has returned as seen here, in Downtown._"

Images of the machine soldiers and the fake Fate showed being taken by trucks and helicopters with an eagle symbol before returning to Robyn.

"_It's been years since the supervillain known as Fate was last seen since. . . . that day, but with the recent appearances of the new Dragon and Furious Five, it appears that the "Mechanical Madman" had taken an interest to these recently new heroes. Though there was much structural damage, no one was injured and had been taken to safety thanks to our new residential heroes. Though some might think of these people as nothing but a menace, a lot of people, including yours truly, are grateful that people with such amazing abilities are here to protect us. Reporting live from Downtown, Empire City, this has been Robyn Rehdcrest; back to you Claude._"

The image changed from the female avian to a male golden retriever, who appeared to be middle-aged. He was of average height and body build that had greying-brown, pointed muzzle, floppy ears, short salt and pepper hair, and dark brown hair. This canine was none other than veteran News Reporter-turned-Anchorman, Claude Bukowski himself. He was seated at a long brown desk that had the logo of the Empire City News Network on the front with an image box of Robyn, which changed to an image of a male crocodile that appeared to be in his early 30s. He was about six feet tall with lime-green with a naturally built body that had emerald-green scales, pointed muzzle, raven-black hair that was shaved into a mohawk, and yellow eyes with slitted pupils. Behind the young crocodilian was a large building, though not as nearly as large as the Wellington International building, which had a logo of two red capitalized letters, and I and an M, that nearly merged.

"_Thank you, Robyn, may these new heroes be a blessing to our fair city. In our next top story: residential millionaire, Milo Masters-_"

At that exact moment, there was a loud knocking at the front door, which prompt Robert to answer the door. The grizzly opened the door to see the familiar form of Jeff, who looked surprised as he entered the apartment. Unknown to anyone, the panda, though he appeared to be enamored by the broadcast, was lost in his train of thoughts. He still had trouble processing what he saw the night before; it couldn't be, it just couldn't be, it couldn't . . . And yet . . . it was.

"Please, tell me you were watching the news." The canine pleaded.

"We did, but Po beat them to it." Amber replied as she turned off the TV.

"Only problem is Po's stuck like, well, this." Robert added, gesturing to his adopted son.

The German shepherd walked up to his best friend to see him stuck in a thousand-yard-stare; completely unaware of what was happening around him. He way waved a hand around in front of the bear's face, but was met with no immediate reaction . . . or _any_ reaction at all to begin with. He even resorted to do sounds and noises to see is he'd do something, anything really, but didn't.

"Freaky, how long's he been like this?" Jeff asked, waving his hand once again in front of his friends face.

"Hard to say, we found him like this when we woke up." Amber replied with a shrug. "He texted us yesterday that he'd be home late, but wouldn't say when he'd be back."

"We tried whatever we could think of, but it's like he's stuck in a blizzard or something." Robert added.

"T-t-ter . . ." The panda started to mutter.

"Or something, looks like he snapping out of it." Jeff said placing a hand on his friend's shoulder. "Po, you okay, what's wrong."

"T-t-t . . ."

"What?" Amber asked in confusion.

"T-t-t-t-t . . ."

"Come on, you're almost there." Robert encouraged.

"T-Terri Hue . . . . Calvin Kwan . . . . Mel Tse . . . . Vicky . . . . and . . . . Markus . . . ." Po sputtered, which confused the three even more.

"What about them?" Jeff asked, not getting what his friend was saying.

"They're . . . they're . . ."

"Yes, yes?"

"They're . . . they're . . ."

"They're what?" Robert asked in anticipation.

"They're . . . they're . . ."

"Po, for God sakes, just tell us already!" Amber yelled out of tension, which gained her looks from the grizzly and German shepherd. "What, you guys were thinking it too."

"They're . . . they're . . . THEY'RE THE FURIOUS FIVE!" Po finally blurted, startling the present company.

"Happy now?" Robert asked bitterly to his wife. "Po, what about the Furious Five?"

"I just said, Hue, Kwan, Tse, Vicky, and Markus; they're the new so-called Furious Five."

"Seriously?" Jeff question incredulously.

"I'm telling you its them, I saw it with my own two enchant eye!"

"Okay, Po, settle down." Robert said, placing a calming hand on his adopted son's shoulder. "Just take some deep breathers and tell us what you saw."

The panda looked around, relaxed himself, took a few deep breaths as instructed, then began to explain what happened the day before . . .

* * *

_Flashback_

* * *

_From where Dragon was, hidden on the roof on the building from any prying eyes that might spot him, he could see that all five of the multicolored figures take off their bandanna masks to reveal that they were an all-too-familiar popular five from school. The first that Dragon was able to recognize was the identity of Iron Tigress . . . which was Terri Hue! The others followed in suit as they revealed themselves to be people he knew: Silver Crane was Calvin Kwan, Steel Monkey was Mel Tse, Bronze Viper was Vicky (out of all the girls in school), and Brass Mantis (out of all the **guys** in school) was Markus! Dragon was starting to feel as if his entire was falling apart all over the place! He was starting to feel his stomach churning like the time he ate that bad sushi when he was twelve, but this was way worse! It was like having his favorite character done horribly wrong when redesigned or his favorite TV show being canceled or lower than a dung-beetle doing the limbo! Okay, that last part made no sense, or __**any** sense __at all, but it was still very shocking to see what he was seeing. Not taking the chance of getting spotted, Dragon made a mad dash and leap to anywhere that the Five weren't._

* * *

_End Flashback_

* * *

"Ah man." Jeff whispered in surprise.

"I know." Po moaned falling back into his seat. "What am I going to do now?"

"Well, seeing as the way things are now, I say just go on how you are." Robert stated calmly.

"But what about . . ."

"Look, I know it's going to be hard working with them . . . "

"One of which is on my "Top 10: People I Don't Like" list."

" . . . The point is that since they have the Five Animal Amulets, they just as much the Furious Five as you are Dragon with the power of the Eternal Ember."

"Guess you're right . . ." The panda sighed in defeat.

"Po, I know you don't like the idea, but there's nothing that could be done." Robert said. "The Amulets work like the Eternal Ember, once their wielders are chosen and accept the responsibilities that come with the powers, they're the Furious Five."

"Even if they're the bitchy-type sometimes." Amber remarked, which brought some chuckles from the guys.

"Amber! You . . . Well, okay, I'll admit, that was a little funny, but you should know better!"

"Sorry 'bout, Po." Jeff said, placing a hand on hid friend's shoulder.

"It's fine, but I still can't be believe, Terri Hue's Iron Tigress. . ." Po muttered, then suddenly, a thought popped right into his noggin. "Jeff, quickly before I forget it, repeat what I just said."

"Terri Hue's Iron Tigress, why?"

"Terri Hue . . . . is . . . Iron Tigress . . . I beat . . . Iron Tigress . . . which means . . . . I . . . beat . . . I owned . . . . Iron Tigress . . . I owned . . . Terri . . . Hue . . ."

Then it it him like a ton of cinderblocks.

"Oh . . . My . . . God . . . I OWNED TERRI HUE!"

This shout startled the canine, feline, and Ursidae as the panda be gan to cheer himself on as well as do a couple of dances.

"Oh yeah! Go Po! Go Po! It's your birthday! This is how we do it! That's the way ah ha, ah ha, I like! Ah ha! Oh yeah! You're a shooting star, Po Ping, no matter who you are! I'm bad, she sad, I'm really, really bad! Stop! Hammer time!"

The panda performed the Hammer dance, which prompt his father-like guardian to step in.

"Po . . ." Robert tried to say.

"Well, yeah, I had help from the Eternal Ember, but I owned Terri Hue, baby!" The young panda exclaimed.

"Po!"

"Yeah."

"This is serious, you know who they are under the mask." The grizzly stated seriously, which was a sign. "But the same couldn't be said about you, this could prove difficult."

"This is the part where I have to promise not to do anything to show that I know who they are, isn't it?" Po asked, though the answer was as clear as a diamond.

"Yes, it is, all too true. I was hoping that you all could work together long enough that at some point you'd all trust each other enough to share your true identities. That's what happened when I was Dragon, but who the Furious Five that I worked really were, I'm not at liberty to say. Po, I know you don't like some of them, and have issues with the others, you must promise not to show that you know who they are. Just until you trust each other enough and, I'm sorry to say, at some point, you'll have to trust them."

Man, This guy must have lived off of fortune cookies, because this guys was like a modern-day Confucius. Though he absolutely (with every fiber of his entire body and for the love of all that was good and holy) hated to admit it, Robert had a point (as always). He wasn't going to like it and it was going to take his all to get through talking to them, he had no choice in the matter.

"I know, doesn't mean I'll like it, but your right." Po sighed, then looked towards the city. "But only because of innocent people, not because of who they are."

"That's all I ask of you." Robert replied with a smile, though he was worried in his head._ I hope every turns out alright._

At that moment there was another knock at the door.

"Wonder who that could be." Robert said as he went to answer the door.

"I still owned Hue." Po smiled, fist-bumping with Jeff.

"Totally." The German shepherd replied.

"Without a doubt." Amber added with her own smirk.

"Hey, guess who I found at the door?" Robert asked, then stood aside to reveal two smiling raccoons.

The first was a male and appeared to be the oldest as he looked to be about the same age as Robert. He had a well-built body with black and dark grey fur in the usual pattern of his species (which included the rings on his tail), pointed muzzle and ears, short brown hair, and pale-colored eyes (though it was obvious he wasn't blind or had trouble seeing). He wore a red short-sleeved polo shirt, dark blues jeans that were held up by a brown belt, and black shoes. The other raccoon was female and seemed to be the same age as both Po and Jeff, which meant she was in high school. She was at average height with a slender figure that had the same (albeit lighter) fu coloration (including the rings on her tail, which was slightly longer), slightly shorter pointed ears and muzzle, long brown hair that was tied in a ponytail and draped over her right shoulder, and bright blue vibrant eyes. She wore a black short-sleeved shirt, dark blue jean-shorts, and a pair of black slip-on Nikes. These two were none other than Ian Markson, who was a childhood friend of Amber and good friend of Robert, and his daughter, Laura. Amber befriended Ian back in high school when he was going through hard times, but it became better when he grew into adulthood and even became a father. His wife ad died when Laura was only a little girl, but did his best to raise her the right way and became something of an uncle to Po after his parents died. Since then, Laura always viewed Robert, Amber, and Po as family rather than her friends. She was even of the very few girls to tease Po about his weight when they were growing up and became best friends .

"I don't believe it, Ian?" Amber questioned in excitement.

"Look who it is!" Ian replied as he and the feline hugged.

"And who is this lovely young lady? This isn't Laura, isn't it?"

"Hey, Auntie Amber!" Laura said, hugging her pseudo-aunt, then turned her attention to the panda. "Hey, Po, great to see you!"

"Laura, hey, great to see you too!" Po replied, giving a hug in return. "Check you out, can you spell "heart stopper"?"

"Hey, Po, wow, look at how much you've grown!" Ian said, giving the young panda a hug and a playful noogie. "Why didn't you guys tell me you were back, I would have called for a celebration."

"Gives us a break, we've only just arrive." Robert shot back playfully.

"Yeah, sure you did. Hey Jeff, what's up?"

"Nothing much, just came over to hang out with Po." Jeff replied casually.

"Cool, hey, why don't I take you guys out to eat?" The raccoon asked.

"When?" Amber asked.

"Right now, my treat."

"Oh, we couldn-" Robert tried to say.

"We could do this all day, Uncle Rob." Laura smirked.

"Well, okay."

"Guess we could." Amber shrugged.

"Sounds cool, Jeff?" Po asked his best friend.

"Why not, got nothing else to do today." The German shepherd replied.

"Then it's decide, let's go." Ian stated as everyone walked out the door.

* * *

Meanwhile, in a dojo in Downtown, were the Furious Five: Terri Hue, Calvin Kwan, Mel Tse, Vicky Luse, and Markus Tang; all still in costume, but were without their masks, to say the least. They stood right in front of the red panda that was Jack Shifu with Mei Ling being the only other person present. Each of the five took turns in explaining their encounters with the fake Fate and his robotic soldiers, but what really got Shifu's attention (though he kept his composure and remained in silence) was the part where Dragon used a sort of technique to take down the fake Fate.

"Interesting, Is there anything else that happened?" The red panda asked.

"Yes, the was a message from, what we believe, was the real Fate." Terri answered professionally.

"Really, what'd he say?" Mei Ling asked out of curiosity.

"Well, aside that we'll most likely be butting heads in the future, he said that he has plans for Empire City." Calvin replied.

"He also said that there were other people involved." Vicky added, which really got to their master.

"Others, what did he mean by that?" Shifu asked suspiciously.

"your guess is as good as ours, we don't have a clue." Mel said with a shrug.

"That doesn't sound good." Mei Ling remarked quietly.

"No, it doesn't . . ." Shifu agreed as he fell into deep thought.

"Master, what should we do?" Markus asked, which was shared by his comrades.

"For now, nothing, but seeing as this "new" Dragon has gained popularity around the city, the only thing I can say is that you continue to work with him. Yes, we know so little about him, but see as the Eternal Ember has given him and that Commissioner Speakman approves of him, you'll have to build up enough trust until you know you can reveal your true identities to one another. From what I say from the news, Fate has now made improvements and not just with his armor and weaponry. You may not like it, but as the Furious Five have become just as popular, and thus, you'll have to be allies, for now. That'll be all, your dismissed, as are you Mei."

"Yes, Master!" the Five and Mei Ling said as they saluted, bowed, then left.

As soon as he knew that the six were gone for certain, the red panda sighed, walked to a nearby bench, then sat down.

"And so . . . it begins again." He said to himself, then looked out a widow, towards a view of the city. "Just what is Fate planning and who is he working with."

* * *

Somewhere, in a dimly lit room, stood the hulking mechanical form of Fate as his chest opened up to reveal that it was one of the seven masked figures from the incident years earlier; the yellow one to be precise. In from of him were four holograms of different species: a rhino, a water buffalo, a bat, and an owl. The rhino was at average height with a slightly toned build that had grey skin, a short ivory horn that seemed to be cracked, nearly shaven-off raven-black hair, and black colored eyes. The water buffalo was exactly eight-feet-tall with a muscular build that had light-grey fur, two curled up ivory horns, a bald head, and amber-colored eyes. Both appeared be in either their late or early-thirties and were wearing the clothing of the Skullz, the only difference being the rhino was wearing a brown long coat and the water buffalo was wearing a black aviator jacket. These two were none other than Barney (he'd kill anyone who used this name) "Rocksteady" Hundun, a corrupt ex-cop and leader of the Skullz gang, the water buffalo beside him being his lieutenant, Charles Temutai jr., who was the son of triad leader Ri Tsui "Charles" Temutai "Sr.".

The owl was a female in her mid-thirties with a lithe figure that had grey feathers with white on her face, short dim ivory beak, short raven-black hair, and purple eyes. She wore what appeared the clothing of the Raptorz gang, only with a lavender long coat. This avian was none other than Wendie Hasseleton or "Fenghuang" as everyone (including her followers) called her, leader of the Raptorz gang. Finally, the bat was also a female in her early-thirties with a very curve and slender figure that had dark-lavender fur (with white on her muzzle, which led up the bridge of her nose and to the top of her head, and down the middle of her neck and into her inner body), large ears, long scarlet-red hair, and dark scarlet-red eyes. She wore the same type of clothing as the Nite Shadowz, but like the rest, she wore a white aviator jacket to differ her from any other NS (the second being she was so hot, you'd burn yourself by looking right into her eyes). This was the leader of the Nite Shadowz gang, Electra Nephima, or Night Eyes as she was called around Empire City.

"Ladies, gentlemen, thank you for coming." Yellow Mask greeted. "Though you're not here in person, I appreciate you answering my "calls"."

"Yeah, yeah, skip the fancy talk, whadda ya want?" Hundun demanded impatiently.

"What's the matter, Hundun, you and Temutai have a date or something." Fenghuang teased, which made the rhino steamed.

"Why you feather bit-. . ."

"Enough!" Yellow Mask shouted, which startled the four. "I didn't call you all here so that you could act like children, there are things we must discuss."

"The one thing I want to know is how we're going to hand Dragon and the Furious Five?" Electra spoke up with an irritated tone. "Not to mention the devil's Trigger, though he mainly attacks the Skullz, they're all a major threat to our operations."

"Wouldn't mind "operating" with you . . . . in my bed." Hundun remarked pervertedly.

"Bastard."

"As much as I love hearing about intimacy, Nephima has a point." Fenghuang spoke up. "First it was Devil's Trigger, then there's another Dragon, now there's another Furious Five; it's becoming very complicated."

"Though they're useful in some points." Temutai pointed out.

"Which is?"

"They got Lidong and most of the ScaleZ put behind bars."

"Yeah, such a shame, at least there's that." Hundun snickered. "Can't believe that guy's over with."

"Not necessarily." Yellow Mask stated, then held up a hand before a word could be uttered, then spoke in an eerily low voice. "And before any of you say anything, we have a contract with each of your signatures, it'll be over when we say it's over; any questions?"

The four remained silent, creeped out by how the masked figure talked, until the rhino braved to break the silence.

"When can we expected the next shipments?" Hundun asked calmly, though he was shivering on he inside.

"Soon, very Soon." Yellow Mask replied, then looked towards the clock on the wall. "That'll be all for today, remember what I said, we decide when it's over."

With that said all four holograms dissipated as Yellow Mask made his way down the narrow hallway till he entered a sort of office. He then began to take off his wardrobe and place it in a sort of case, revealing he was wearing a business suit beneath it all. He then took off his mask to reveal the crocodilian form of Milo Masters, the great-grandson of Gabriel Masters and CEO of his family's company; Masters Industries. The crocodile pressed a button the made the case sink into the floor as if it were never there to begin with, then walked towards his work desk.

"Sir, your 3:00 appointment is here." The sound of his reception is called from the speaker on his desk.

"Thank you, Carla, send them in." Milo replied, then sat down and awaited for his appointment.

* * *

The End

* * *

To Be Continued in Season One

* * *

**And so, dear viewers, the end has come to this little story of mine. I just wanted to say, I really appreciate that you all kept up with all the chap and even gave me some sweet and kickass (not talking about the movie or comics about the hero wannabe) characters to boot. I do so hope that everyone out there enjoyed what I've brought to you and I hope I do just as good, if not better, in Season One. Till then, good friends, this is the King of 2211, signing off.**


	16. End Credits

**Hey, I know the last chap was the finale and having this put in, but hey, I likTito mix things up a bit, plus making this fic was like making a movie, hope some of you know the voices.**

**P.S.**

**If you're looking for the finale, look at the PREVIOUS chap, RIGHT NOW!**

* * *

End Credits: Cast Roll:

* * *

**Heroes (so far)**

* * *

Richard Ian Cox as Po Ping/Dragon

Hayden Panettier as Teresa "Terri" Hue/Iron Tigress

Samuel Vincent as Calvin Kwan/Silver Crane

Josh Grelle as Mel Tse/Steel Monkey

Colleen O'Shaughnessey as Victoria "Vicky" Luse/Bronze Viper

Kirby Morrow as Markus Tang/Brass Mantis

James Patrick Stewart as Masamune "Mass" Avia/Devil's Trigger

* * *

**Allies (so far)**

* * *

Christopher Meloni as Robert Glover

Wendee Lee as Amber Longriver-Glover

Kevin Sorbo as Ian Markson

Mea Whitman as Laura Markson

Jason Marsden as Jeff Speakman

Eric Bauza as Lawrence "Larry" Windsor

Kari Wahlgren as Cynthia Takeda, Robyn Rehdcrest

Kurtwood Smith as Master Jack Shifu

David Kaye as Commissioner Seth Speakman

Leslie Mann as Melissa Speakman

Ray Park as Brisbane Wellington

Jessica DiCicco as Anastasia "Annie" Wellington

Jennifer Hale as Miss Mind

Paul Dobson as Yao

John Savage as Claude Bukowski

Tara Strong as Nora Wells

Cam Clarke as Benjamin "Benji" Huan

Andrew Francis as Tai Lung (for now)

* * *

**Villains (so far)**

* * *

Tobin Bell as White Mask

Billy Zane as Milo/Gabriel Masters/Yellow Mask

Fred Tatasciore as the voice of the Fate armor

Gary Anthony Williams as Lidong/Lockjaw

John DiMaggio as Fung

Kerrigan Mahan as Barney Hundun/Rocksteady

Kevin Grevioux as Charles Temutai

Cree Summers as Wendie Hasseleton/Fenghuang

Kari Whalgren as Electra Nephima/Nigh Eyes


	17. After Credits

**Surprise! Surprise! Is anyone out there surprised? I knew you'd be. I just love movies with post-credit scenes, which is why I've made this little number, hope everyone enjoys. OC related are man and property of other authors, the rest we do not own.**

* * *

After Credits: Secrets

* * *

Somewhere, in a dark dimly light room, stood a figure in front of various monitors that showed different broadcasts of Dragon and the Furious Five fighting against the fake Fate and his robotic soldiers. The figure looked from screen to screen as studied they fighting styles and way of using their powers and weapons. Upon closer inspection of this person of mystery, one would recognize him should they lived in Empire City all their life, or long enough. There, right in front of the monitors, was none other than the white masked leader of the terrorist group that once laid siege on the Wellington International building the day the original Dragon "died".

"Impressive . . . most impressive . . ." White Mask commented in an amused tone. "But just as order rises from the ashes of the flames from the past . . . so does the same . . . with chaos . . ."

The figure then pressed a button on the console, which made a cylindrical object rise from the floor.

"Soon, my pet, you shall be full of life . . ." White Mask whispered as the cylindrical object began to open up. "Then the real "fun" can begin."

As the object opened up, it revealed to contain what appeared to be a pendant of some sort. Not just any pendant though, this pendant resembled one of the Five Animal Amulets, only it appeared to be distinctively different. It had a silver chain which held a very dark-black spinel gem on the end, which had the symbol of a feline, like the Tiger Amulet, only the Chinese character engraved in it translated to "leopard". White Mask continued to marvel at the sight of the amulet, then let out a maniacal laughter.

"HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"

* * *

Meanwhile, in another disclosed location, another figure also stood in front of various and studied the footage of Dragon and the Furious Five fighting against the fake Fate and his robotic soldier. Unlike White Mask, however, he wasn't alone as another figure stood to his right and also watched the footage of the heroes fighting against the robotic soldiers. As soon as they were finished, the light came on and revealed the two to be canines of two separate breeds, the first being a female saluki. She appeared to be in her mid-thirties with a very curvy figure that had black fur with white on her muzzle that went down the middle of her neck, long black hair in a ponytail, pointed muzzle, floppy ears, and dark-brown eyes. She wore a dark-blue colored Kevlar like suit (with matching boots) with a sort of gun holstered on the right side of her belt and an Eagle symbol with the word "ETERNITY" etched on it.

The second canine appeared to be a wolf at first glance, but if you looked close enough, you'd see that he was more husky-like. He had a nicely muscular build that had dark-grey fur (with two lighter grey patches over his eyes and the inside of his muzzle, which went down to his underbelly), short brown hair with grey on the sides and back of his head, pointed ears and muzzle, and one reddish-brown hair. He appeared to wear the same type of clothing as the saluki, only he wore gloves and a trench-coat with the same symbol and logo as on the shoulder of his uniform, a gun was holstered on his chest (like certain police officer), and wore an eyepatch over his left eye (most likely due to an accident).

"So, what should we do, sir?" The saluki asked as she looked towards the other canine.

"Nothing, for now, but keep tabs on them." The wolf-dog replied as he began to walk away from the monitors, followed by the saluki. "Knowing Xiasiayus, he'll make his move sooner or later, but we'll be waiting"

* * *

To Be Continued (Yet Again): Dragon Season 1

* * *

**And finally, it has come to an end. Thank you all, so much, for following me on this amazing journey as Po strives to become the hero he always wished he could be. And yes, Season 1 is in development as we speak, hope to boot it up for everyone's eyes to see soon. Bet you guys are dying to know who these people are, aren't you? Well, you'll just have to wait until the main fic, but I promise you'll find out soon enough. Patience is all I ask as things like this could be ruined if they're rushed. Till then, in Season 1, this is the King of 2211, signing off.**


End file.
